A Summoner and a Soul Reaper
by animechick247
Summary: Haine is a summoner who wishes to be Yuna's guardian. But as she travels to Besaid, she ends up in the Soul Society. Now with the help of her new Soul Reaper friends and a certain red head Lieutenant,she must get back to her cousin before Sin kills her.
1. A summoner is born

Chapter 1: A summoner is born

**A/N: I know, I must be crazy to start a new story when I have so many others that aren't even finished yet. What can I say; I guess I get a thrill of starting something new that I can't even help myself. **

**Here's my new crossover story between Bleach and Final Fantasy X. I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I hope everyone likes it. **

**This chapter isn't much, just introducing the ocs for the story.**

**I already have my Oc's for this story out on Deviantart if you want to see them.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X or Bleach; I just own my Oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

_The summoners are practitioners of a sacred art, sworn to protect the people of Yevon. Only a chosen few become summoners, who call fourth entities of greater power: the aeons._

_The aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessing of Yevon. They are the pillars of hope during Sin's arrival._

_Soul Reapers are the guardians of the Soul Society, sworn to protect the souls of the living. Only a selected few can become Soul Reapers, who are able to draw the spirits of their Zanpakuto. _

_They are the pillars of justice that protect the souls from Hollows. _

_Different worlds, different jobs, but similar purposes. _

_These worlds have clashed, due to the laws of the world. However, one summoner and one Soul Reaper will break the wall that has kept them apart this whole time. _

_Will they form the bridge of unity and peach that the worlds have longed for?_

_Or will they create the pit of sorrow and despair that they feared of?_

_Only fate can tell._

/

Bevelle; the heart of Spira and the follower of Yevon. Behind these temples, Yevon's teachings are thoroughly taught to future summoners and Maesters.

With Sin ever present, Bevelle wants to keep Yevon's teaching alive so that the people of Spira do not lose hope.

It had been ten years since High Summoner Braska defeated Sin. Ten years where everyone could live in peace without the worry of thinking each day would be their last.

It was both comforting and sad at the same time. It was because that happiness would soon be shattered because Sin would always come back.

And back it came. After ten years of the Calm, Sin had showed its ugly head again in Spira.

Summoners young and old had stepped forward to start their pilgrimage to defeat Sin.

One of those young souls was none other than Braska's daughter, Yuna.

The other one was her cousin, Haine, who had just finished her inauguration in Bevelle.

This is how our story began.

/

Haine was daughter of one of the Maesters hailing in Bevelle. As such, she took the teachings of Yevon very seriously. She had to really if she wanted to be a summoner.

After seeing how heroic her uncle Braska was when he sacrificed himself to defeat Sin, she wanted to follow in his footsteps and to cast away everyone's fears for good.

While it was traditional and part of the teachings to start the pilgrimage in Besaid, Haine did the unthinkable and started it in Bevelle. That may have seemed bad to acquire the first aeon in a homeland, Haine had her reasons.

She didn't want to be just a summoner, but a guardian as well; Yuna's guardian to be exact.

After hearing that her beloved cousin was going on a pilgrimage as well, she broke one of the traditional teachings by obtaining Bevelle's aeon.

How else would she protect Yuna otherwise?

Despite this seeming taboo, Haine was going to go through with her plans. If her cousin was going to sacrifice herself for Spira's sake, she was going to go through with it too.

Because that's what families do.

/

"I can't wait until we see Yunie!" Haine cheered.

She was busy packing all of the things she would need for her travels.

Her older sister, Shaiya watched her with mild interest. She was Haine's guardian as well as a skilled blue mage. She could copy her enemy's moves as long as she saw it once.

Haine fixed her chestnut hair and looked up from her stuff.

"Do you think Yunie will be happy to see us?" she asked.

Shaiya got up from her bed.

"Don't know" she said.

"But knowing her, I'm sure it'll make her happy to see her family"

Haine smiled at that.

"I can't wait to see her!" she repeated.

"I've missed her so much! Writing letters just doesn't cut it. I need to see what she looks like now!"

"I bet she looks like Uncle Braska" Shaiya said.

"She always did carry his features"

Haine smiled at that.

After Braska defeated Sin ten years ago, Yuna was sent to Besaid so she could live a happy life. It heartbreaking since the cousins were so close, but she figured it was best for her. They were able to write to each other after all.

After pack up a couple of sphere recorders, Haine closed her pack up and placed it at the foot of her bed.

"There! That should do it!"

Shaiya sweat dropped when she saw how big her pack was.

"Don't you think you over did it a bit?" she asked.

Haine laughed nervously as she rubbed her head.

"Maybe" she admitted.

"But since it'll only be the two of us for a while, you can never be sure"

Shaiya shrugged.

"If you say so" she said.

Haine stifled a yawn behind her hand. She never realized how late it was until just then. She had spent the whole day packing up and saying her farewells to everyone at the temples.

Tomorrow they would begin their journey to Besaid, where Yuna was. After that, they would journey with her until they reached to Zanarkand and obtained the final aeon.

That is, if Yuna would allow them.

They figured she would never oppose to the idea of her cousins want to protect her, but she always felt bad about it.

They would just have to wait and see.

Shaiya got into bed and bid her sister goodnight.

"Be ready to get up and early tomorrow" she said.

Haine nodded and got into bed as well.

Before she went to sleep, she took one last look at her room.

There were so many things she collected during her time here. Each artifact held certain memories of her life. Pictures of when she was younger were hung in frames. Posters of certain Blitzball teams were up on the walls. Even certain spheres that she recorded of her family were scattered all over the place.

She smiled sadly, knowing that this would probably be the last time that she slept in this room.

Because once she got the final aeon, there would be no coming back to here.

But that was alright. She was doing something noble. Everyone in Spira was depending on her and the other summoners. They were the pillars of hope during Sin's arrival. If they didn't do something, then Spira would be lost. Her uncle did it, so why not her?

Knowing that, she was able to fall asleep soundly.

She was one of the pillars of hope that kept the people of Spira at ease. She would be the one who would help defeat Sin.

Knowing that, she awaited for the adventures that would start tomorrow.

/

**A/N: I know, sucky intro, but hey, they're not my strongest subject when it came to writing stories.**

**Despite this being the first chapter and not having a lot to offer, please tell me what you think. And tell me what you think of what they look like from my Deviantart page.**

**Ja ne!**


	2. And so the journey begins

Chapter 2: And so the journey begins

**A/N: Thanks to Yumi Seiji and Bakuto Masaki for reviewing the first chapter! That means a lot to me!**

**Now is where our journey begins for Haine. Will it be what she was hoping for, or will it be what she least expect it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final Fantasy X; I just own my ocs.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Moring came rather quick for Haine. Before she knew it, she was getting ready to leave for Besaid.

She looked at herself in the mirror to make sure her outfit was on properly. She wore the standard Bevelle outfit that most women wore. She wore a teal kimono like top that tied in the back and had an opening in the sleeves. A blue metal band that went up both of her arms. A navy blue pleated skirt that went down to her knees and knee high black boots. She also had part of her hair pull up into a ponytail so it wouldn't cover her face.

And to top it all off, she wielded her summoner's staff, known as the calming waves. It was an all blue rod with a blue wave like insignia at the end. It represented Spira's connection to water and how Sendings were usually in areas containing it.

Shaiya hooked her chained whip to her side as well as attaching a metal claw to her right arm. She donned the outfit of a blue mage and wore an aqua blue sleeveless top and a long dark and light blue skirt that slit up the side. She had medium blue boots that went up to her knees and had metal plating at the toes.

Haine slipped her pack on and looked at her sister.

"Alright! Let's go!" she cheered.

Shaiya sweat dropped at her sister's eagerness to start her pilgrimage. If she were in her shoes, she would be dreading it. Nothing good came from these pilgrimages. True, they were able to defeat Sin, but at what cost? Summoners sacrificed their lives, only to have Sin reborn again.

It was nothing but an endless cycle of death.

Nevertheless, she would stay by her sister's side until the very end. If she wanted to go through with this, she would respect her wishes.

Haine gave her a gentle smile.

"I hope this journey is full of fun" she said.

"I want to make lots of memories during our trip"

Shaiya gave her a weak smile.

"I'm sure it will be once we see Yuna" she said.

Haine smiled brightly at the thought of seeing their cousin.

"I can't wait!" she cheered.

"I hope she hasn't changed"

"There's only one way to find out" Shaiya said.

They left their room before heading down towards the temples. This would probably be the last time that they ever stepped foot into their room, but they didn't mind.

It was all for the cause of defeating Sin.

/

Before they went to say their final goodbyes to everyone, Haine wanted to make a quick stop to the temple of Fayth. Here, Bevelle carried the mighty Aeon, Bahamut.

Bahamut was the mighty dragon Aeon who protected the innocent and defended its summoner. It was the symbol of strength and courage for those who didn't have any.

Whenever Haine felt scared or helpless, she just had to think of the Aeon and she would feel at ease.

This was why she obtained Bevelle's aeon first instead of Besaid's. What better way to protect Yuna than to use her home's Aeon.

"Why are we here?" Shaiya asked.

"You've already obtained the Aeon. There shouldn't be a reason why you want to be here"

Haine looked at the temples doors sadly.

"I want to pay my final respects" she said.

"With Sin always lurking in the shadows, I've always found my strength whenever I thought of Bahamut. Bevelle's ray of light. Strong and fierce yet protective and kind. Ready to defend you at the cost of its life. The ultimate Aeon. I always found the ability to move forward thanks to its strength. I want to be strong like my Aeon so I can protect Yunie. Its thanks to Bahamut that I wanted to help defeat Sin. That's why I want to pay my final respects"

Shaiya blinked then sighed.

Of course her sister would come up with such a description for an Aeon. Always thinking positive about others, even if they weren't really alive.

"You act just like Uncle Braska" she said.

Haine giggled at the comparison.

"There's nothing wrong with that" she said.

"He did defeat Sin. If I'm just like him, then maybe I will too when I help Yunie"

Shaiya sweat dropped.

"That's not what I meant" she said.

Haine just giggled and went into the chamber where Bahamut's fayth rested. There, sitting at the center of the room was Bahamut's glyph. The dragon's insignia glowed proudly as its sprit pulsed with life.

When Sin drew near, the Aeons would awaken from their slumber and lend their powers to the summoners. They were the souls who willingly gave up their lives while they were alive, just so they could become part of the faith. It was a small but noble price stop the calamity that was known as Sin.

And that was why Haine felt so grateful as she stood before Bahamut's faith. As long as she knew that the Aeons would defend her, she had nothing to worry about. They were the pillars of strength that made summoners so important.

She knelt before the Fayth and clasped her hands in prayer.

"Oh mighty Bahamut" she said.

"I thank you for the aeon and for helping me in my lofty quest. I vow before you that I will find a way to defeat Sin for good and to protect the people of Spira. Please give me the strength to help me get through with my pilgrimage and to help Yunie with hers"

She could feel a strong vibe running through her veins as she said that.

It was almost as if the fayth was listening to her plea.

Smiling, she bowed before the fayth and stood up.

"Praise be to Yevon" she said.

She turned around and started walking out of the chamber until her foot brushed up to something. Haine looked down when she heard something scratch across the ground and found a sphere lying on the ground.

Spheres were pretty much used for everything here in Spira. They could record videos, store documents and even harbor magic. They were a necessity in this day and age. But why a sphere would be residing within the fayth's chambers was rather odd.

Bending down, she picked it up and examined it properly. It looked like any ordinary sphere. It was the standard blue color that was used for video spheres. However, there was some strange writing etched within the rim of it. It not in the Spirian language, nor the Al Bhed. It was as if it was an entirely different language of its own.

"I wonder what it says?" Haine asked herself.

She shrugged and pocketed the sphere.

"I'll ask Shaiya. I'm sure she'll know"

She walked out of the chamber so she wouldn't keep her sister waiting.

As she left, Bahamut's spirit rose from the glyph and watched as the young summoner left. The little boy had a solemn look on his face when he looked at the sphere.

"The dream must end" he said before fading back.

/

The head priests and Maesters were waiting for them when they arrived at the high bridge. It seemed that the higher ups wanted to send off their town's summoner and hoped that she upheld the belief of Yevon.

Everyone wore proud looks on their faces as the two of them came down. But none of them wore the proudest grin like Haine and Shaiya's father, Yasha.

Despite being a lower class Maester under Wen Kinoc, Yasha was well respected in Bevelle. It could have been because he was the younger brother of High summoner, Braska, but that wasn't really the case. Yasha was a heavy believer of Yevon and followed to the teachings to the book.

Yet despite this, he was a rather kind man. After being raised by his older brother, he inherited his brother's kindness and understanding of different cultures. He never hated his brother for marring and Al Bhed woman or having a 'half bred' child. He always felt that love was the greatest magic that could end the worlds suffering.

Haine ran up to her father and gave him a big hug.

"Dad! You came to see us off!" she cheered.

Yasha smiled kindly at his youngest daughter.

"Of course it would" he said.

"It's not every day that your daughters go off on a pilgrimage to defeat Sin"

"Yeah, well it seems like every other year Sin needs to be destroyed" Shaiya replied dully.

Yasha gave his eldest a weak smile. Even during the early mornings, Shaiya still had to be depressing.

"Oh, come now, Shaiya" he said.

"Surely this time Sin will be defeated for good"

Shaiya sighed and looked at the ground.

"That's what you said last time when Uncle Braska went on his pilgrimage" she said.

Yasha's grin faded. It was no secret that he grieved his brother's death. He was the only family he had left when Sin killed their parents. To lose a brother was the worst pain.

Haine sensed the sudden mood change and tried to fix it.

"D-don't be saying that, Shaiya!" she insisted.

"I'm sure we'll be the ones who stop Sin for good this time. With Yunie at our side, we're bound to succeed. Two summoners are better than one!"

Shaiya grinned slightly. Even in serious situations, Haine could always brighten up the mood.

"Maybe you're right" she said.

Yasha's smile returned.

"I hope Yuna is doing well" he said.

"Be sure to send my regards when you go see her"

Haine smiled as she nodded.

"Don't worry, we will!" she said.

Just then, Grand Maester, Yo Mika came before them.

The three of them quickly did the prayer of Yevon before bowing to him.

"Lord Mika" Haine said.

Mika did the prayer as well.

"Summoner Haine" he said.

"On behalf of Yevon and the ruler of Bevelle, I pray that your pilgrimage goes splendidly"

Haine looked surprised at being praised by the Grand Maester of Yevon. It was such an honor.

Shaiya secretly rolled her eyes at the praising, which resulted her in getting elbowed by her father.

Haine bowed once more the Mika.

"Thank you, Lord Mika" she said.

"I promise you that I won't fail"

Mika gave her a wrinkly smile at that.

"Praise be to Yevon" he said.

Haine smiled at that and looked at her sister.

"We better be going" she said.

"Don't want to miss Yunie"

Shaiya nodded and walked by. As she did Mika seemed to give her a cold stare. She returned the gesture and scoffed.

"_Pompous old wind bag" _she thought.

Yasha bid his daughters farewell once more before he watched them grow smaller and smaller.

When they disappeared, his smile vanished as well. If they were going to continue with this pilgrimage, then surely they would suffer the same fate as his brother.

"_I hope you change your mind before it's too late" _he thought.

/

"Yay! We're off on our pilgrimage!" Haine cheered.

She did a little dance as they walked down the road. She was finally starting her journey as a summoner and she couldn't help be feel excited.

She was now one of Spira's pillars of hope. People would depend on her to defeat Sin once and for all. It almost made her feel famous.

She staggered on her feet when she skipped and almost fell face first in the dust.

Shaiya shook her head as she smirked.

"Calm down" she said.

"Sin isn't going to go anywhere"

Haine pouted.

"But Yunie will!" she said.

"It'll take us at least two months to reach Besaid. For all we know, she could be starting her pilgrimage now!"

Shaiya rolled her eyes.

She almost forgot how clingy her sister was with their cousin. Haine treated her like a younger sister while they grew up. They always played while she would watch over them. It was bad enough that they pretty much looked alike except for the eyes.

"Relax" Shaiya said.

"As soon as we reach the moonflow, the trip will be faster than you think. We'll be in Besaid in no time"

Haine had a doubtful look on her face, but didn't say anything.

"If you say so" she said.

Shaiya ruffled her hair.

"Oh, don't be mopping" she said.

"This is your pilgrimage! We need to have lots of adventures and make lots of memories"

Haine smiled at that.

She did want her pilgrimage to be filled with laughter and joy. Otherwise, why else would she go? She wanted to remember why she was trying to protect Spira and the best way was to enjoy herself.

She patted her pouch that contained all of the sphere recorders that she stashed.

"We'll make lots of movies so that we can show them to dad when this trip is over" she said.

"I'm sure he'll like that"

Shaiya smiled weakly.

"I'm sure he would" she said.

Just then, Haine remembered the sphere that she found in Bahamut's temple.

"Oh yeah! Look at what I found!"

She pulled out the sphere and showed it to her.

"It was in the temple of Fayth" she said.

"I don't know why it was there, but I just couldn't leave it"

Shaiya wore a scolding look on her face.

"You should take things that you don't know what they are" she said.

Haine stuck out her tongue.

"I know that!" she said.

"But who knows what's stored in here? Maybe it has a recording of the Fayth or something"

She flipped it over and found the switch.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you" Shaiya said.

Haine just giggled.

"Oh come on. What could possibly go wrong?"

She flipped the switch and turned it over to see what was recorded on the sphere.

There was something within it, alright, but it wasn't a recording. A while light erupted from the tiny contraption and engulfed the two within.

"What's happening?" Haine cried.

"I don't know!" Shaiya said.

They were swallowed up by the light and suddenly vanished from Spira.

The last thing that they heard was the voice of Bahamut.

_The dream must end_

/

**A/N: Uh-oh, I wonder what was in that Sphere? And where did it take them? And what did Bahamut mean about the dream ending?**

**If you want to find out, you'll just have to review!**

**Ja ne!**


	3. An Unexpected Visitor

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Visitor

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while. I was trying to figure out how to do the introduction scene without it sucking. Hopefully this turns out like I planned it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final Fantasy X; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Soul Society was pretty much in a pickle at the moment. After Aizen's betrayal, everyone was on high alert. They didn't want to risk the chance of intruders breaking in when they were at their most vulnerable state. That's why security was tighter and there were more patrols.

And that was where Renji was found one day.

The red head lieutenant of squad 6 groaned in frustration. He didn't have time to be doing this. He would be better off spending his time training than patrolling the streets. After everything that had happened, he couldn't help but feel weak.

He had been defeated by the enemy so badly that it was a stab to his pride. And to make matters worse, Ichigo had to tail along with him.

He thought that with Rukia being safe, he would return to the World of the Living. It turns out that wasn't the case. Since he was a deputy Soul Reaper now, that meant he was allowed to pitch in with the current situation.

That was fine and dandy, but he could have done it back in the world of the Living!

Even thought he thought of Ichigo as a friend and brother in arms, he annoyed him to no end.

The way that he talked and the way that he carried himself simply pissed him off. What Rukia saw in him was beyond him.

Ichigo looked around the streets in a bored matter.

"So what exactly are we suppose to find?" he asked.

Renji pinched the bridge of his nose.

And let's not forget how clueless Ichigo could be at times. He was smart when it came to battles, but with normal stuff, he was clueless.

"Anything unusual" he snapped.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Ichigo gave him a stern look, knowing that he was being insulted.

"I just asked a question" he said.

"No reason to snap like that"

Renji just glared at him.

"Well, don't ask stupid questions" he retorted.

The two of them had a glaring match against each for a moment.

Rukia happened to walk by when this happened. She sighed at the sight. She couldn't help but think that they were so much alike.

Too stupid to be insulted.

"You two really need to get past your differences" she said.

"You would think after what has happened, the two of you would be friends"

Renji and Ichigo just glared at each other.

"Why would I be friends with this creep?" they said in unison.

Rukia sweat dropped.

Oh yeah, they were very much alike.

She just sighed and shook her head. There really was no point in getting mixed up with this.

"Come on. Let's just report back" she said.

The two of them glared at each other as they walked.

After a while, Ichigo walked up to Rukia and started talking to her.

Renji noticed how animated and happy Rukia seemed as she talked to Ichigo. He didn't have to be a genius to see that the two of them had feelings for each other. He knew that when he first met Ichigo.

He didn't mind really. He always considered Rukia as a sister. He was glad that she found someone that she could be happy with. But he really wished that it could have been anyone else besides this idiot.

If only she could love someone besides this dumbass, then he would be a happy camper. But fate seemed to work in a mysterious way. It brought two people together that you would never expect to see in love.

It made him wonder if he would love someone as crazy as Ichigo.

He shuddered at that thought. He sure hoped not.

One Ichigo was good enough for him.

As they were walking, sirens blared throughout the whole area.

"What the hell?" Ichigo said.

**Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!**

That wasn't good.

Did Aizen decide to come back so he could take out the Soul Society while it was still trying to recover?

"Where was security breeched?" Renji asked.

Rukia closed her eyes for a moment and tried to pick up any foreign spiritual pressure.

"It's near the squad 6 barracks" she said.

"Come on!"

The three of them quickly ran to the barracks so they could take out the intruders.

/

Byakua was already waiting at the barracks when they came. It seemed that he too noticed that the intruder's presence was close by.

"Taicho!" Renji called.

Byakuya gave him a simple nod, showing that he had the situation under control.

The members of squad 6 surrounded the area and drew out their weapons. They didn't know how the intruder was, but they weren't going to take any chases. Not when they were still recovering from Aizen.

Renji drew out Zabimaru and looked around the area. If there were intruders, then that meant he would have the chance to train a bit more. Fighting enemies was always a good way of honing yours skills.

A rift seemed to open above them and out came these two girls.

One of them screamed as she fell through the air and landed on top of Renji with a thud. The red head groaned when he felt the hard ground on his back.

The girl on top of him groaned too and slowly sat up.

"I'm so sorry" she said.

"I didn't mean to fall on-"

She stopped when she realized who she was looking at. Confusion was written on her face as she stared at Renji.

The lieutenant was pretty much the same.

Who the heck was this girl, and where did she come from?

/

Haine was beyond stunned as she looked at the red headed man that she landed on. She had never seen anyone with such bright hair in Spira.

She groaned and rubbed her back.

She didn't know what that sphere did, but it sure didn't know how to land people. She had no idea where she was, but she was going to find out soon.

She could hear Shaiya swearing in Al Bhed as she sat up.

"Son of a Shopuff" she muttered.

"What the hell did that sphere do?"

Haine slowly got off of the red headed man and looked around to see people dressed in black surrounding them.

She had never seen such outfits before. Everyone usually wore colorful outfits in Spira. Not this dark, gloomy ensemble.

She also didn't like it that they all had swords pointing towards them.

She yelped when the one wearing a white coat pointed his blade at her throat.

"State your business, intruder" he ordered.

Haine gulped as she looked at the man.

Intruder? Where did she intrude on?

Shaiya glared at the man and got into his face.

"You dare point a blade at a summoner?" she challenged.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?"

The man just gave her a cold stare and aimed his blade at her throat.

"Don't not make me repeat myself. What business do you have for intruding into the Soul Society?"

Shaiya raised a dark eyebrow.

"Soul Society?" she repeated.

"And what in Yevon's name is that? I don't recall such a place in Spira"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow as well.

"What the hell is Spria?" he asked.

"I think they must have hit their heads or something because there's no such thing as that"

Haine looked at the strange people in confusion.

No such thing as Spira? That was preposterous. Of course Spira existed. It was the world of Yevon.

She slowly looked around the area and noticed buildings that she had never seen before. Everything looked so strange and out of place. It seemed to plain and boring to be part of Spira.

She looked at the sphere that she picked up from Bahamut's fayth and looked at it.

Could it be that this took them to a different rift? Or send them somewhere beyond Spira?

She looked at her sister to see her having a glaring contest with Byakuya.

If these people thought that they were intruding, then that must have meant they really weren't in Spira.

Only a fool would raise a blade to a summoner and her guardians.

She needed to get some answers and fix this mess.

She slowly stood up and stepped towards Byakuya.

"Um…excuse me?"

Byakuya gave her a harsh stare, but she didn't flinch. A summoner must always be brave.

She held up the sphere and showed it to him.

"I think there's been a slight misunderstanding" she said.

"We're just as confused as you are about this situation. Is there someone who we can talk to about this? A maester or high priest perhaps?"

Byakuya raised a delicate eyebrow at the mention of Maester.

Shaiya rolled her eyes at this man's stupidity.

"Your leader" she clarified.

"Surely you have someone who can tell us what's going on"

Byakuya looked at them for a moment. Should he really bring these intruders to Head Captain Yamamoto? After everything that has happened, the last thing that the general needed was a couple of intruders standing in front of him.

Then again, they weren't acting hostile and it seemed that they had no idea where they were. Perhaps they just came here by accident?

He really couldn't say.

The only one who would know what to do would be Yamamoto.

Sheathing his sword, he motioned for them to follow him.

"This way" he said.

Shaiya gripped the whip at her side, in case she needed it. She didn't know where she was, or what was going on, so she wasn't going to take any chances.

Haine started walking forward, but the man that she crashed into stopped her.

"Hey" Renji said.

He held up Haine's staff.

"You dropped this"

Haine was surprised that she nearly forgot her staff. It symbolized her status as a summoner. To not have her staff would be an insult to Yevon.

She gave Renji a grateful smile as she took her weapon.

"Thank you" she said.

She blushed a little and bowed.

"I'm very sorry for landing on you like that" she said.

"I hope you didn't get hurt"

Renji shrugged, not clearly phased.

"It's cool" he said.

"Just don't make it into a habit"

Haine giggled a little and gave him a smile.

"I'm Haine" she said.

Renji blinked for a second and smirked slightly.

"I'm Renji"

Haine smiled at that. What a nice name.

"Well then, Renji. Could you show me where your leader is?"

The lieutenant nodded and started walking ahead.

Haine quickly followed so she wouldn't get lost.

Meanwhile, Ichigo looked at Rukia. He was so lost about what just happened that he didn't know how to take in this situation.

"Do you know what' going on?" he asked.

Rukia shook her head and just looked at Haine and Shaiya.

"Not a clue"

/

Yamamoto was very curious as to why one of his captains would bring the intruders to his office. Normally, the first thing to do would be to lock them up and interrogate them.

Byakuya looked like he wasn't liking this either, but he couldn't complain. The law stated that if the intruders weren't acting hostile, then they didn't need to be quarantined. Plus, it seemed like they had no intention of breaking into the Soul Society, and were simply lost.

He bowed to Yamamoto and ushered to Haine and Shaiya.

"Head Captain Yamamoto. As you can tell, I've caught the intruders" he said.

"However, it appears that they don't have any intention to cause us any harm. It seems they want to know what' going on and why they're here"

Haine stepped forward and did the Yevon bow to the head captain.

"My name is Haine, sir. I'm a summoner from Bevelle" she said.

"I was starting my pilgrimage and for some reason I wound up here"

She held up the sphere and presented it to him.

"This sphere seemed to have brought us here, but I don't know how it did it" she said.

"It seems that everyone is saying that I'm in some place called the Soul Society and that I'm not in Spira anymore. I don't know if I did anything wrong by arriving here unannounced, but if I did I didn't mean to. I'll gladly leave if you'll help me"

Yamamoto studied her for a moment. He noticed that there was a very strange spiritual energy coming from her. It wasn't hostile, but it was almost soothing. He could tell that she meant everything she said about being here. From the way that she was talking, it almost seemed like she was hoping that she would leave and return to this Spira place.

He motioned for her to step forward.

"Let me see this device that you have"

Haine slowly stepped forward and carefully handed over the sphere to Yamamoto.

"Spheres like these are used all the time from where I'm from" she said.

"I don't know why this one transported us to somewhere out of Spira. Perhaps you may know"

She handed him the sphere and watched as the head captain examined the foreign object.

In all his years as being a head captain of the 13 court guards, he had never seen anything so strange and unusual in his entire life. He was sure Mayuri would have a field day with findings like this.

"I shall see if our research department can figure out how this works" he said.

"But the main question I have is what we shall do with you"

He opened his eyes slightly so he could get a better look at her.

"It's obvious that you didn't come here on purpose and wish to cause harm to the Soul Society. But since you came here, then there must be a reason for it. What is it, I simply can't figure out"

Haine gave the old man a sincere look.

"All I want is to return home" she said.

"I need to continue with my pilgrimage"

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.

"And what, pray tell is this pilgrimage you speak of?"

Haine bit her lip then looked at Shaiya. She didn't know if she should tell these strangers about Sin or that she had to fulfill this quest in order to save Spira.

Shaiya simply nodded, telling her that it was alright.

This could be their key to getting out of this place alive.

Haine clasped her hands together and looked at the head captain.

"Well, sir…there's this being in Spira that we call Sin" she said.

"It's a massive monster that kills thousands of people and strikes fear in all of us. It's been terrorizing Spira for thousands of years. Summoners like myself go on a pilgrimage to try to defeat Sin. We're the pillars of strength for Spira and we ease everyone's sorrows. If I don't go back to Spira, then there's a chance that Sin might destroy Spira"

She looked at him seriously.

"And if I'm able to come here, then there's a chance that Sin might come too. Surely you don't want some foreign creature terrorizing your land?"

She bowed deeply to him.

"All I ask is if you'll help me find a way back to Spira. I don't want to cause any trouble here and I'm sure you don't want some strange girl from a foreign land walking within your world"

Yamamoto rubbed his chin in thought.

This was a pretty strange tale. A being that could kill thousands of lives and was around for a thousand years. Not even Hollows lived that long.

But when she mentioned that it could come to Soul Society, that caused the red flags to flash through his head. They had just gotten over the fact that Aizen betrayed them and planned to use the Hogyoku. He didn't need this Sin creature running around as well. Chances are, Aizen would use it as well.

Haine gave him a sincere look.

"Will you help me?" she asked.

Yamamoto sighed.

It seemed that this girl really wanted to return home. Who was he to deny that? If she wanted to leave, then he would have one less thing to worry about.

He nodded slowly.

"Very well" he said.

"Since it is obvious that you bear no ill will, I shall see what we can do to return you to your world"

Haine gave him a grateful look.

"Thank you" she said.

Yamamoto nodded.

"But in the meantime, you must stay with one of captain's of the 13 court guards so we can keep an eye on you. Since Captain Kuchiki was the one who found you, you shall be staying with him"

He gave her a stern look.

"I don't want any misbehavior from you" he warned.

"I may treat you like a guest at the moment, but if I find out you have done anything to disrupt the peace of the Soul Society, I will not hesitate to arrest you"

Haine nodded in understanding.

"I would never do anything like that" she said.

"I live for the people and I plan to ease their sorrows. You have my word"

Yamamoto nodded.

"Very well then. You may leave so you can settle in" he said.

"Welcome to the Soul Society"

Haine bowed to him and walked over to Byakuya.

"I hope my sister and I won't be an inconvenience to you during our stay" she said.

Byakuya simply closed his eyes.

"Let's be on our way" he said.

He walked off and left Yamamoto's office.

Rukia went up to Haine and gave her a gentle smile.

"Come on. Let's get you settled in" she said.

"I'm sure you've had a long day"

Haine gave her a kind smile.

"Thank you" she said.

Shaiya sighed picked up her pack.

"Let's go" she said.

"It's been a long day and I want to sleep"

They all walked out of the head captain's office and walked towards the Kuchiki estate.

Before Renji parted ways with them, he took one last glance at the summoner who suddenly dropped in on him.

He didn't know where she was from and what she was doing here.

All he knew was that it was going to be interesting from now on.

/

**A/N: I know this chapter sucked, but I wanted to get it out of the way so I could start on with the next chapter. That is when the story really picks up.**

**Please review and tell me wha**t **you think.**

**Ja ne!  
**


	4. The Next Day

Chapter 4: The Next Day

**A/N: Now that Haine is stuck in the Soul Society, how is she going to be treated by everyone else? And will she be able to return to Spira in time before it's too late? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final fantasy X; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

When Haine woke up the next morning, she almost flipped out when she saw that she wasn't in her room.

It took her a minute to remember that she wound up in some place called the Soul Society and that she was staying at Byakuya's home.

Sitting up from the bed that was on the ground, she yawned and stretched her tired limbs. So much had happened in such a short amount of time that she fell asleep as soon as she got to her room. She thought it seemed strange at the fact that her bed was on the ground and that the doors were these sliding panels of thin paper. They never had these in Spira.

Getting up from her bed, she fixed the white kimono like sleeping wear that was provided for her and fixed her hair so it didn't look like a big mess.

She sighed wearily as she thought about her predicament.

Here she was, hoping to go on her pilgrimage to defeat Sin and hoped that she could become Yuna's guardian. And yet she found herself in some remote world known as the Soul Society, not knowing when she would return home.

It was frustrating and tiring.

But since she was a summoner, she learned how to be calm and how to deal with the unexpected.

"_Things always happen for a reason" _she thought.

"_Maybe I was suppose to come here"_

Thinking positively on that, she went over to the door and slid it open. All of her positivity went with it as she looked out into the hallway.

She really didn't remember how she got to her room last night since she was so tired and confused. But now as she looked at the twisting hallways that lead to who knows where, she couldn't help but feel like she was trapped into a maze.

Mustering up some courage, she stepped outside and slowly walked down one of the hallways.

"Let's see…do I go this way? Or that way?" she muttered.

It was so hard to figure out where she was going since the walls looked the same. There weren't even pictures to help her out.

She sighed when she gave up on trying to figure out which hallway to go down next.

"I doubt I would even know how to get out of the Purifico back in the Bevelle" she muttered.

She hung her head in defeat.

"_Some summoner I am" _

"Good morning"

Haine yelped and spun around when she heard someone speaking to her. She blinked a few times when she saw Rukia standing in front of her, trying hard not to laugh.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you" she said.

Haine blushed as she composed herself.

She learned last night that she was Byakuya's younger sister and that she lived here as well.

"I-It's alright" she said.

"I was just lost in my own thoughts"

Rukia nodded in understanding.

"I'm sure you have a lot on your mind with everything that's just happened to you" she said.

"You have no idea" Haine replied.

"It's like I've stepped into a dream almost"

Rukia gave her a kind smile.

"Well, you better wake up soon, because it's real" she joked.

Haine giggled a little.

"Alright, I will" she teased.

The two girls giggled a little for a bit. It was nice to know that there was a nice face out there that was willing to help Haine while she was stuck here.

The summoner gave the soul reaper a bashful look as she rubbed her neck.

"I know this will sound really stupid, but do you know how to get around here?" she asked.

"I was trying to find my sister and I'm hopelessly lost"

Rukia nodded in understanding.

"I got lost a couple of times when I first came here" she said.

"Just follow me. I'm sure she's eating breakfast with everyone else"

Haine gave her a grateful smile and started following her.

"Thank you so much" she said.

"Oh! And I don't think I properly introduced myself yesterday. I'm Haine"

Rukia smiled.

"And I'm Rukia" she said.

"It's nice to meet you, Haine"

Haine smiled as she followed Rukia.

It seemed that she possibly made a friend here on this world.

/

Haine was relieved when she saw Shaiya sitting at the table when they made it to the dining room. It appeared that she was talking with Byakuya about something but stopped when she saw her.

"Morning, Haine" she said.

"Did you sleep well?"

Haine smiled and nodded.

"Yes" she said.

She turned to Byakuya and bowed to him.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality Sir Kuchiki" she said.

"I hope that I won't be a burden during my stay"

Byakuya just closed his eyes in a regal manner.

"As long as you abide by the rules and do not cause a disturbance, then you are welcome to stay" he said.

Haine figured that was his way of saying 'you're welcome', so she accepted it.

Rukia led her over to an open spot near the table and had her sit down next to her.

"You can sit by me in case you have questions that you want answered" she said.

Haine gave her a grateful smile and nodded her thanks.

"Thank you. And I'll try to do the same as well"

Ichigo came into the room followed by Renji.

"Moring" Ichigo replied.

He plopped down in his seat in a casual manner while Renji did the same, but with more decency.

Ichigo gave Haine a slight wave when he saw her at the table.

"Yo" he said.

Haine blinked at being greeted like that and just nervously waved.

"Um, h-hi?" she said uneasily.

A tick mark appeared on Rukia's forehead as she glared at him.

"Idiot. She doesn't know who you are" she snapped.

"You didn't introduce yourself yesterday, so how's she suppose to talk to you?"

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh right" he said.

"Sorry about that. I'm Ichigo"

Haine nodded.

"I'm Haine" she said.

"And I'm sure you've met my sister, Shaiya?"

The blue mage gave Ichigo a cold stare with the way he greeted Haine. Talking to a summoner in such a disrespectful way was uncalled for.

Haine looked at Renji and smiled at him.

"Good morning, Renji" she said.

The red head looked surprised that she remembered his name. He figured that she would have forgotten by now or something.

"Moring" he replied.

Haine looked at him and Ichigo.

"Do you live here as well?" she asked.

Ichigo and Renji quickly shook their heads when they saw the murderous look on Byakuya's face.

"N-no! I-I'm just a guest as well" Ichigo said.

"And I needed to report in with Captain Kuchiki, so I just stopped by" Renji added.

Haine blinked for a moment, then shrugged.

It didn't seem like a big deal, so she let it slide.

Shaiya rolled her eyes at the boys.

"Cdibet puoc" she muttered in Al Bhed (translation: Stupid boys).

Servants brought breakfast for everyone and set them on the table. Renji and Ichigo started stuffing their faces with food while Byakuya and Rukia ate in a more diligent matter.

Haine's eye sparkled as she ate the food. She had never tasted anything so good before.

"_These spices are amazing!" _she thought.

"_Not even Al Bhed spices taste this good"_

As she was eating, she noticed that everyone was looking at her.

Feeling a little nervous, she lowered her chopsticks and looked at them.

"Um…is something wrong?" she asked.

Rukia shook her head.

"No. We're just curious about you" she said.

"We don't really have people suddenly appearing into the Soul Society. Especially ones from a different world"

"Just what the hell are you?" Renji asked.

Shaiya sighed in annoyance.

"She's a summoner" she said.

"She that yesterday. Weren't you listening?"

Renji glared at her.

"Yeah, I heard" he snapped.

"But I've never heard of a summoner, so I don't know what they are"

He and Shaiya had a glaring match going on for a few seconds.

Haine gave them a nervous grin and held her hands up defensively.

"Perhaps I should just explain it better" she said.

"Like I said yesterday, I'm a summoner from Spira. I'm on a pilgrimage to defeat a being known as Sin and bring peace to Spira"

"Is this pilgrimage like a little journey or something?" Ichigo asked.

Haine nodded.

"Summoners travel across Spira and visit the main temples of each major city or town. There we have to acquire these spiritual beings known as Aeons, which helps a summoner fight Sin. It's a long journey, but it's worth it. Anything that will defeat Sin is worth it"

"What exactly is Sin?" Rukia asked.

Haine had a grave look on her face as she thought about the being that plagued Spira.

"Sin is our punishment for letting things get out of hand" she said.

"It's a being that's made up for all of the wrong doings that people have committed, hence why it's called Sin. It travels all over Spira, wreaking havoc to the land for a thousand years. It's up so summoners like myself to bring an end to Sin's destruction"

"It's a difficult task, but it must be done" Shaiya said.

"If we don't defeat Sin, who will?"

Nobody said anything for a moment. It was as if they didn't know what to say. They never realized that they were housing someone who had such an important task ahead of her.

Haine laughed nervously and waved her hands in front of her.

"N-now, now, there's no reason to be glum" she said.

"Why don't you tell me a little about yourselves? I've never heard of a place called the Soul Society before. Perhaps you can show me around?"

Rukia smiled a little.

"We have patrol duties today, so we can show you around" she said.

Haine smiled at that.

"Oh, that would be wonderful" she said.

"I look forward to learn about your world and your culture"

Byakuya stood from his seat.

"I have to head towards the barracks of Squad 6" he said.

He looked at Renji, Rukia and Ichigo.

"Therefore, the task of watching our guests falls on your shoulders" he said.

"Do not let anything happen to them"

Renji nodded.

"Understood, Captain" he said.

Everyone got up from the table as they got ready for the day.

Haine couldn't help but feel excited as she anticipated on the discoveries she was about to make today.

"_Just wait until everyone in Bevelle hears about this!"_

/

**A/N: I guess this is a safe spot to stop. Next time we get to see Haine as she explore the Soul Society and meets some of our favorite Soul Reapers.**

**I hope this was to your liking. **

**Please review and tell me what you think! **

**Ja ne!**


	5. New Experiences and new friends

Chapter 5: New Experiences and new friends

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while, but I'm back! Now we get to join Haine as she sees the Soul Society for the first time! Who will she meet and what experiences will she learn?**

**You'll just have to read to find out!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final Fantasy X; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

Haine couldn't help but awe at the scenery as she walked through the Soul Society. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before.

Everything was old fashioned and looked like something you would see in a history book. The way the buildings and the walls around her reminded her of what Bevelle looked like in the olden days. It was as if she was stepping into the past.

She was even amazed by the people! Most of them wore the same black outfit that Renji wore. She didn't know why they wore them, but it was fascinating to see.

"This is so amazing" she breathed.

"Who would have thought that a place like this existed?"

Shaiya mumbled in agreement as she kept an eye out. As Haine's guardian, it was her job to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. She didn't know if there were fiends on this world, but if people walked around with swords on them, then surely something evil always lurked around here.

"_Nobody will get their hands on Haine as long as I'm around" _she thought.

Rukia smiled a little when she saw the amazed look on Haine's face.

"I take it that you like what you see?" she asked.

Haine nodded.

"It's so beautiful here" she said.

"It almost reminds me of my home. It's peaceful and tranquil, yet it holds a lot of spiritual energy around it. It's like I'm still in Spira almost"

She giggled a little.

"Although, people don't dress in black robes"

She looked at Rukia.

"Why do you and everyone else wear them? Is it some type of uniform or something?"

"You could say that" Renji said.

"It's our Soul Reaper uniforms"

"And what in Yevon's name is a Soul Reaper?" Shaiya asked.

Renji glared at Shaiya with the way she spoke her question. It was as if she was disgusted by them or something.

Rukia sensed the Renji was about to chop someone's head off, so she quickly stepped in.

"Soul Reapers are spiritual beings who protect souls of the living" she explained.

Haine blinked.

They were spirits? Did that mean that they were unsent? If so then that would mean she would have to perform a sending, and she really didn't want to do that to the people who have helped her out so far.

Shaiya raised an eyebrow.

"You mean you're not actual living beings?" she asked.

Rukia nodded.

"Renji and I aren't, but Ichigo is" she said.

Ichigo felt a tick mark appear on his forehead for being mentioned so bluntly.

Haine looked at her new friends in wonder.

"So, are you like spiritual guardians who protect the living then?" she asked.

Rukia nodded.

"We protect souls from evil spirits known as Hollows" she explained.

"We make sure the living is safe so they won't turn into Hollow's as well"

That sounded a lot like with the living in Spira. If a summoner didn't perform a sending on the dead, then they would turn into fiends, and that in turn would just make Sin stronger.

"That sounds like a hard job" she said.

Renji shrugged.

"Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. It just depends on what you're up against"

Haine looked up at him curiously.

"Do you enjoy being a Soul Reaper?"

Renji blinked a bit at the question and just looked away.

"I guess" he said.

"It's better than doing nothing"

"Renji is one of the Lieutenants that make up the Thirteen Court Guards" Rukia explained.

"There are thirteen squads that are in charge of the Soul Reapers. Head Captain Yamamoto is Captain of Squad One, so he's in charge of all the other squads. After him, there's the Captains of Squad Two, Squad Three and so on. Each Squad has a Captain and a Lieutenant. My older brother, Byakuya is the Captain of Squad Six and Renji is his Lieutenant"

Haine looked amazed by that and smiled at Renji.

"That's amazing!" she cried.

"You must be really strong if you're a Lieutenant!"

Renji blushed a little at the compliment and looked away.

"I'm not that strong" he insisted.

"I'm not nearly as skilled or powerful as Captain Kuchiki. I still have a long ways to go if I'm ever to become a Captain"

Haine smiled and shook her head.

"But I'm sure it's just as hard to become a Lieutenant as it is to become a Captain" she said.

"And that fact that you're a Lieutenant just proves that you're very strong!"

Renji looked taken aback by Haine's comment. He didn't realize that his ranking was so important. He figured that being a Captain was important, but this girl thought otherwise.

Shaiya rolled her eyes.

"Haine tends to get excited when she meets strong people" she said.

"She always thinks that she'll meet someone who was like Sir Jecht and Sir Auron"

Haine blushed and rounded on her sister.

"I do not!" she said.

"I just admire people who work really hard to obtain their dreams! It's hard to become strong so the fact that Renji is a Lieutenant proves that he worked really hard to reach that title. And besides! Nobody could ever replace Sir Auron and Sir Jecht! They'll always be legend!"

Rukia and Ichigo chuckled a little at the display.

"Who are Sir Auron and Sir Jecht?" Rukia asked.

Haine blushed when she realized that they had listened to her little ramble. How embarrassing!

"They were our Uncle Braska's guardians" she said.

"A summoner must have guardians with when they're on a pilgrimage" Shaiya explained.

"They protect the summoner from fiends and people who wish to cause them harm. They must make sure that the summoner is safe to defeat Sin, even at the cost of their own lives"

Haine looked at her staff sadly as she thought of her late Uncle. She was always proud and grateful for what he had done for his family and Spira, but she missed him so much.

"Sir Auron and Sir Jecht stayed with my Uncle until the very end. Even when he died defeating Sin" she said sadly.

"Because my Uncle defeated Sin, they became legendary as the guardians who kept the High Summoner safe. Since Sin has returned, guardians these days hope to become like them"

Shaiya rolled her eyes.

"They're a bunch of fools" she said.

"They try so hard to become someone else that they forget who they are in the end. They're more concerned about become the next legendary guardian that they forget the whole reason why they became guardians in the first place"

Haine laughed nervously when she sensed her sister going into one of her moments. Ever since she became her guardian, she vowed that she would never turn into one of those fools who claimed that they would be the next Auron and Jecht.

"Sounds like being a guardian is similar to being a Soul Reaper" Ichigo said.

Haine nodded.

"You could say that, but we're trying to defeat Sin rather than those things you called Hollows" she said.

"I guess we're not so different after all" Rukia said.

Haine smiled.

"I suppose you're right" she said.

"We're both fighting for the same, but are just doing it a little differently"

Rukia smiled a little before she remembered something.

"Oh! I was supposed to go see how Captain Ukitake was" she said.

Haine blinked.

"Who?" she asked.

Rukia looked a little embarrassed by her outburst.

"My Captain" she said.

"I'm part of Squad Thirteen, which Captain Ukitake runs. He's really sick at the moment and I forgot to see if he took his medicine today or not"

At the mention of someone not feeling well, Haine's summoner instincts kicked it. If there was someone suffering, it was up to her to ease their sorrow.

"If he's sick, please take me to him!" she insisted.

"I'll see if I can cure him"

Rukia looked surprised by her bold statement, but quickly shook it off.

"Y-you don't have to" she said.

"He usually gets his medicine from Captain Unohana from Squad Four, so there's no reason to-"

Haine cut her off by gripping her hands and giving her a determined look.

"First rule about being a summoner is that you have to ease everyone's sorrows, being from sickness or suffering of a loss one. If I didn't do something like this, then I wouldn't call myself a summoner. Not only that, but it would be a disgrace to Yevon. Please let me do this!"

Rukia looked baffled. She never encountered something like this before.

Shaiya sighed.

"You might as well do as she asks" she said.

"Once she gets like this, she won't take no for an answer"

Rukia looked back at Haine's pleading face and gave in.

"I guess it couldn't hurt" she said.

"And I'm sure the other Captain will want to know about you"

Haine smiled brightly.

"Lead the way then!" she said.

Rukia nodded and headed for the Squad Thirteen barracks while Haine and the others followed.

Renji and Ichigo were curious as to what Haine might do, so they decided to follow.

Shaiya rolled her eyes, knowing that her sister would probably go overboard with her healing magic.

"_Then again, she has to learn" _she thought.

/

The Squad Thirteen barracks reminded Haine of the temples in Spira. While they weren't as decorative as the other places she saw, it held a lot of power behind them.

"_I wonder if they have beings like Aeons here on this world" _she thought.

Rukia walked her through the barracks and lead her towards where Ukitake was sure to be.

Haine admired the gardens that the barracks had and couldn't help but love the sight of nature. Seeing nature being alive and growing put her heart as ease. With death always circling around Spira, it was nice to see life, even through plants.

Shaiya enjoyed the sight as well, even though she wasn't fond of plants.

Rukia stood in front of the screen doors that lead to her Captain's office.

"Captain Ukitake" she called out.

She could hear someone coughing a little before they replied.

"Come in"

Rukia slid the screen door opened and ushered Haine inside.

The young summoner was surprised to meet the Captain of Rukia's squad. While he held a friendly aura around him, she could tell right away that he was very sick. The proof was the fact that his hair was snow white.

Ukitake smiled weakly when he saw Haine.

"Oh, and who is this?" he asked.

Rukia knelt in front of her Captain and bowed.

"This is Haine" she said.

"She is the one that the sirens picked up yesterday"

Understanding came across Ukitake's features.

"Oh! The Summoner that Yamamoto was talking about" he said.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you"

Haine performed the Yevon bow in return.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Ukitake" she said.

"Rukia told me that you weren't feeling well, so I came to see if there was anything that I could do to help"

Ukitake smiled weakly.

"That's very kind of you, but it's not necessary" he said.

"I've had this illness for a very long time"

Haine shook her head.

"That's not good at all" she said.

She sat in front of him and gave him a stern look.

"As a summoner, I'm obliged to help those in need. I live to ease everyone's sorrow, including those who are ill. I don't know if I'll be able to make you well, but it's better than not doing anything at all"

Ukitake blinked for a moment before laughing lightly.

"I guess Yamamoto was right. You are rather serious when it comes to duty"

Haine smiled a little.

"You have to if you want to fight for what you believe in" she said.

"Now let me see what I can do"

She closed her eyes and let her magic flow through her. Being a summoner meant that she had to learn white magic. In order to ease Spira's sorrows, she had to able to heal the wounded as well.

"_I don't know which spell to use at the moment, so probably a simple cure will do" _she thought.

She waved her hand in front of her and cast the spell.

"Cure!"

Everyone was surprised to see a light green energy cover Ukitake's form for a second before disappearing.

Ukitake looked at himself for a moment and found out that he wasn't coughing.

"Amazing" he said.

Haine smiled nervously.

"It's not one of my strongest spells, but I'm sure it'll do the job" she said.

She reached into one of her side pouches and pulled out a potion bottle.

"If not, I'm sure this will work. These tend to take care of any injuries"

As she was explaining how to use the potion, Renji and the others looked at her with wonder.

"What the hell did she just do?" Ichigo asked.

Shaiya rolled her eyes.

"She used white magic" she said as if it was the obvious thing.

When she got three confused looks, she figured they never heard of such kind of magic.

"Spira is known to have special kind of magic" she explained.

"Magic that can heal and magic that can destroy. People who use magic are known as mages. Haine may be a summoner, but she's also known as a white mage. Her magic leans more towards healing rather than destroying as opposed to black mages. There are other types of mages including Blue mages, like myself and mages who specialize in certain magic like time or elemental attacks"

"Do you have to be born with these certain powers?" Rukia asked.

Shaiya shook her head.

"You have to learn it and to become an expert at magic require years of training and practice" she said.

"Only a genius would be able to master powerful spells so quickly"

She watched her sister as she showed Ukitake how to take the potion and when it was the right time to take it.

"Haine may not be one of the best mages in Spira, but she's a lot better than most. She knows enough spells to keep herself alive while we're traveling"

She sighed as she thought of something.

"Then again, that gives guardians like myself even more of a reason to protect her"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? Why?"

Shaiya gave him such a nasty glare that it nearly rivaled with Byakuya's.

"If a group's white mage dies, who's going to heal the wounded?"

That caused Ichigo to shut up right away.

Renji looked at Haine as she laughed a little at what Ukitake said to her.

"So basically, she's very valuable on your world"

Shaiya nodded.

"Basically"

Haine smiled when she finished her work.

"I think my work here is done" she said.

"If you feel sick again or start coughing, just let me know and I'll use one of my stronger spells"

Ukitake smiled kindly.

"Thank you very much" he said.

Haine stood up and faced the others.

"Well, I'm sure you still need to go through your duty patrols, so we should go" she said.

Renji nodded.

"If Captain Kuchiki finds out that we were 'slacking off' he's going to kill us" he said.

Haine nodded in understanding.

"Then let's go before you get into any trouble"

Just as they were about to leave, the panels opened up again.

"Hey Jushiro, you think you're up for some-"

Shunsui came into the room, hoping to see if his friend wanted to go out and drink some sake when he ran into the group.

He blinked a couple of times when he saw Haine and Shaiya.

"Oh?"

Ukitake chuckled a little.

"Shunsui, you're just in time to meet our guests" he said.

"These are the two individuals that Yamamoto was talking about"

Haine bowed to him and smiled.

"I'm Haine, pleased to meet you" she said.

Shaiya merely nodded and muttered her name.

Shunsui scratched his head in thought. So these were the mysterious intruders that entered the Soul Society. He thought they were a couple of rouge Soul Reapers, not a couple of cute girls.

He had a goofy smile on his face as he shook Haine's hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, little lady" he said.

Renji and Ichigo could sense Shunsui going into his perverted mode while Ukitake sighed. It seemed Shunsui would hit on younger girls.

Haine laughed nervously, not knowing what to do about this situation.

Shaiya spared her by getting in between them and gripping Shunsui's coat.

"Listen here, perv. If you so much as look at my sister in any funny way, I will personally decapitate you"

Shunsui held his hands up in mock surrender, showing that he wouldn't pull anything.

"Easy tiger, I just wanted to introduce myself" he said.

Rukia rolled her eyes at Shunsui. Even though she respected him as one of the Captain's of the Thirteen Court Guards, she thought he was the biggest idiot she ever knew.

"I'm afraid that you'll have to wait until next time, Captain" she said.

"We need to go back to our duty patrols"

Shunsui waved that off.

"Nonsense, I'm sure you can spare a few more minutes" he said.

He pushed Haine further into the office and ushered her towards Ukitake's sitting area.

"Hey Jushiro, you got any of that special tea of yours?"

Haine kept stuttering any saying random things as she was pulled back into the office.

"B-but Renji and his friends will get in trouble if they don't go back on patrol" she insisted.

Shunsui just laughed and sat down next to her.

"Don't worry. I'm sure they can wait for a few more minutes"

Haine looked at new friends helplessly, now knowing what to do.

Rukia sighed.

"We won't get out of this easily" she said.

She went over and sat next to Haine so she could protect her from Shunsui's perverted nature while Shaiya sat in between her sister and Shunsui in case he pulled anything.

Ukitake gave the guys an apologetic smile as he got up to go get the tea ready.

Ichigo looked at Renji and shrugged.

"Might as well take a break" he said.

He went over and joined the group at the table.

Renji sighed at the predicament that he was placed in and couldn't help but curse his own luck. If Captain Kuchiki found out about this, he was good as dead.

Although…a small break couldn't hurt, and he was really hungry.

Shrugging himself, he went over the table to join them all.

/

Shunsui laughed as Haine finished telling another story about Spira. It seemed everyone was enjoying learning more about her world as she was about theirs.

So far, they learned that Spira was broken up into smaller continents and that usually had temples for the Summoners to pray at. And that each temple harbored a sprit known as Aeons. They also learned about the locals and the history of Spira like the Machina war and a little bit about Sin.

Overall, it was a very interesting talk.

Haine smiled when she saw that everyone was enjoying her little history lesson. It made her feel special that they wanted to learn more about her and what she did for a living. It made it seem that her pilgrimage was really important.

Rukia looked at the clock that was on Ukitake's wall and noticed that it was almost noon.

"We should probably go" she said.

"We still have many places to patrol"

Haine nodded and stood up.

She bowed to Ukitake and Shunsui and thanked them for their hospitality.

"Thank you very much for the tea and hospitality" she said.

"I really enjoyed"

"Well thank you for the stories" Shunsui said.

"You'll have to tell us more about them"

Haine smiled brightly as she nodded.

"Of course" she said.

"I'll even tell you about Blitzball"

Ukitake smiled softly.

"We look forward to that" he said.

Haine smiled and bid them farewell before following her Soul Reaper friends out of the barracks.

Rukia smiled as Haine quickly walked in step with her.

"Well, I guess my Captain really likes you" she said.

"And Captain Kyoraku"

Haine smiled brightly at that.

"They seemed like really nice gentlemen" she said.

"I hope I can meet the other Captains as well"

Renji smirked a little at her eagerness.

"I'm sure we'll run into some of them during our patrol"

Haine smiled brightly at that.

"I can't wait!"

They left the barracks and headed back into the streets for more of their patrol.

/

"So let me see if I have this right" Haine said.

"Squad 4 is in charge of healing while Squad 12 tends to invent things. Squad 11 is known for being ruthless fighters while Squad 3 tends to be peaceful. Squad 2 is known for being stealthy while Squad 8 mostly has girl members. And to top it all off, one of the Captains is a giant dog?"

She had been trying to mesmerize each of the Squads and what they did in the Soul Society while they walked through the streets. It was a lot for her to remember, but she knew if she wanted to fit in here, she had to remember everything.

Rukia laughed a little.

"Yeah, something like that"

Haine rubbed the back of her head.

"There's so much to remember" she said.

"It's no different than the Maester system we have back in Spira" Shaiya said.

Haine nodded.

"True. And even though we only have three Maesters, it's still hard to remember everything"

"You guys have a ranking system back where you're from?" Ichigo asked.

Haine nodded.

"In Spira, we have leaders known as Maesters. They're like the high priests who are in charge of Yevon-our religion. Each Maester is represented by the main races that rule Spira: Humans, Ronsos and Guados. They govern their races and act like political leaders. Sometimes it's very difficult since most races don't usually get along"

"Like humans and the Al Bhed" Shaiya replied.

"But when it comes to our religion, Blitzball, and defeating Sin, we all join together" Haine finished.

"It's kind of sad that we'll only help each other when we feel endangered"

"It's like that around here, too" Renji said.

"None of the Squads mess with each other unless it's needed. We stay out of each other's way and wish to keep it like that"

Haine frowned a little.

"It's still sad though" she said.

"Makes you realize how much negativity there is in this world"

Nobody said anything to that.

They didn't need to be told twice about that. They had Aizen to thank them for that. He was the prime example of hatred and negativity.

Shaiya sighed when she sensed the change in everyone's mood.

Normally, she wasn't one to cheer everyone up, that was Haine's job. But since her sister was in a funk as well, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

"So where are we anyway?" she asked.

"I feel like we've been walking in circles"

Renji looked around and noticed that they were near Squad 11's domain.

Kenpachi Zuraki's domain.

That wasn't good. If Kenpachi found out that Ichigo was here, all hell was going to break loose. Not only that, but he would probably try to pick a fight with Haine. And judging by her looks and stamina, she probably couldn't defend herself.

They had to get out of here fast.

Ichigo and Rukia noticed where they were too and started to freak out as well.

"Oh, uh, I don't think we need to look around here" Ichigo said.

He started pushing Haine and Shaiya in the other direction.

"We should patrol THIS way, yeah, this way"

Haine blinked in confusion.

"But what's wrong with patrolling over here?" she asked.

"I thought you needed to patrol all over the Soul Society"

"Oh, we don't really have to check everywhere" Rukia said.

"Y-yeah" Renji said.

"So why don't we go before it-"

"ICHIGO!"

The three Soul Reapers cringed when they heard the over hyper voice.

"What was that?" Shaiya asked.

They got their answer when a blur of pink zipped from the Squad 11 barracks and attached itself to Ichigo.

Ichigo cringed when Yachiru wrapped herself in a death grip.

He was doomed.

Haine blinked when she saw the little girl. She was amazed that a child her size had such vibrant pink hair.

Yachiru laughed when she knew Ichigo wasn't going to go anywhere and smiled in victory.

"You finally came!" she cried.

"Kenny was wondering when you would come back to fight him! He was starting to think that you weren't ever going to come back"

Ichigo was sweating bullets at the mention of Kenpachi. If Yachiru was here, then that meant he couldn't be far away.

They had to get away before he got here.

Ichigo tried to pry off Yachiru, but the girl wouldn't let go.

"Hey, Yachiru, I'm afraid Captain Zaraki will have to wait until next time for his fight with Ichigo" Rukia said.

"We have patrol duty and we just can't get away from it"

Yachiru pouted a bit.

"Aw, it won't take long" she said.

"Here, I'll get him"

She turned to the barracks.

"KENNY!"

Ichigo went into full out panic mode at this point. He started tugging Yachiru, hoping she would let go, but the girl was practically glued to him.

"Please, Yachiru, we really need to go" Rukia said.

"We don't have time to-"

"What the hell is going on?"

Everyone froze at the sound of that all too familiar gruff voice.

Slowly turning their heads, they found none other than Kenpachi Zaraki standing near the front of his barracks.

Ichigo paled when he saw him and tried to hide. He wasn't in the mood to fight with him. He was still recovering from his injuries from their last fight.

He tried to hide, but Yachiru had other ideas.

"Kenny! Look who's here!" she cried.

Kenpachi looked at where Yachiru was at and grinned darkly when he saw Ichigo.

"Well look who we have here" he said.

"So you finally decided to fight me again?"

Ichigo gulped and quickly shook his head.

"N-no! I was just on patrol and I accidentally came here! That's all"

Kenpachi snorted.

"But the fact that you came here proves that you wanted to fight"

Ichigo waved his hands in front of himself.

"No way!"

He quickly looked at Haine and Shaiya and realized he had a life line.

He quickly went over to them and hid behind their backs.

"I have guests with me!" he said.

"We were showing them around the Soul Society and we somehow ended up here"

Rukia and Renji quickly nodded. They wanted to get out of here as well.

Kenpachi finally noticed the two girls and blinked.

"Huh? Who the hell are you?"

Shaiya was about to retort, saying that was no way to speak to a summoner, but Haine beat her to it.

She smiled brightly and bowed to Kenpachi.

"Hello!" she said.

"I'm Haine and this is my sister, Shaiya. I'm sure you heard about this from Sir Yamamoto, but we somehow wound up in the Soul Society and now we're here until we find a way to get back to our world"

Yachiru grew excited at the sight of new people and quickly jumped on Haine. The Summoner caught her and held her in her arms.

"Hi!" Yachiru cried.

"I'm Yachiru Kusajishi, but you can call me Yachiru!"

Haine giggled.

"It's nice to meet you, Yachiru" she said.

"Are you a Soul Reaper for Squad 11?"

Yachiru nodded happily.

"Yep! I'm the Lieutenant!"

Haine looked surprised and amazed at the same time.

"But you're just a little girl" she insisted.

Yachiru giggled.

"Yeah, but I'm really strong!" she said.

Haine smiled.

"That's really amazing" she said.

She fingered a bit of her pink hair.

"And you're so cute! Is this your natural hair color?"

Yachiru nodded.

"Yep! Everyone thinks it's weird, but my hair isn't as weird as Kenny's"

Kenpachi just grunted.

Haine smiled up at Kenpachi.

"I don't see anything wrong with your looks, Sir Zaraki" she said.

"It just shows how unique you really are"

Kenpachi just looked at her strangely.

"You must be messed up in the head or something if you would come up with something like that" he said.

Shaiya gripped her metal claw and was about to slam it into the Captain's face for insulting her sister like that, but Haine just continued to smile at him.

"I guess you're right" she said.

"But then again, it's better than being plain and normal, right?"

Kenpachi just shrugged.

"I guess" he mumbled.

Haine just giggled.

"So are you really the Captain of Squad 11?" she asked.

"What do you think?" Kenpachi said sarcastically.

Haine shrugged.

"It must be very hard work then" she said.

"Having to be in charge of a squad and fighting those things called Hollows"

Yachiru giggled.

"Not really! Kenny usually sleeps most of the time!"

Kenpachi glared at the little girl.

"Yachiru" he warned.

Haine waved that off.

"That's good" she said.

"At least it's not a very tiring job. If you're able to rest and relax, then that's good. It wouldn't be fun if you were always busy"

Renji, Rukia and Ichigo watched in fascination as Haine and a regular conversation with Kenpachi. They thought that she would be terrified as the sight of him, but it seemed she was fine with it.

Shaiya sensed their stunned looks and couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"There are way scarier things in Spira" she said.

"You're little giant friend is normal compared to what we've seen. You should see what the Ronso and Guado look like"

The three of them really didn't say anything to that. They just watched as Haine did the impossible by talking with Kenpachi.

"You're very tall for a person, you know that?" she asked.

"You're almost as tall as a Ronso. Now that I think about it, you remind me a lot like Sir Jecht. I'm sure you're able to defeat your enemies with ease"

Kenpachi just grunted a word or two at her responses. He was a fighter, not a talker.

Yachiru giggled as she was held by Haine. She liked it whenever treated friendly with Kenny. If they were nice to Kenny, then they were a friend to her.

"I like you!" she said.

"I think I'm going to call you Hai-Hai!"

Haine laughed at her new nickname.

"If that makes you happy, then it's fine with me" she said.

"Yay!" Yachiru cheered.

Rukia smirked at the scene. She found it amazing that she was able to talk with Kenpachi and tolerate Yachiru's hyperness.

"_She's something else" _she thought.

Renji thought the same thing too, but he didn't dwell on it for very long. They had to continue their patrol before Byakuya caught them.

"Uh, Haine, we need to go" he said.

Haine nodded in understanding.

"Oh, of course" she said.

"Don't want to make Sir Kuchiki angry"

She handed Yachiru over to Kenpachi and bowed to them.

"It was a pleasure to meet you both" she said.

"I hope to see you again soon"

Kenpachi grunted while Yachiru waved.

"Bye, Hai-Hai!" she said.

"If you come over again, we can play"

Haine smiled at that.

"I would love that" she said.

She waved goodbye as she walked off with her friends.

Ichigo sighed with relief.

"Man, that was a close one" he said.

"I thought he was going to fight me again"

Haine smiled.

"I thought he was really nice" she said.

"He really didn't talk much, but I can tell that his heart is in the right place. I thought Yachiru was cute as well"

Renji snorted.

"Yeah, she's cute, but she's a little devil. Everyone fears her because they know she'll annoy the hell out of them and pull pranks"

Haine looked up in thought.

"I don't think she's that bad" she said.

"And she's just a child. Children are known to be full of energy. She'll grow out of it, I'm sure"

Rukia smiled a little.

"But did the impossible just now" she said.

"Talking to Captain Zaraki and handling Yachiru is amazing. You really are something"

Haine blushed at the compliment.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that" she said.

"Being a Summoner means you have to be very understanding of people. Sometimes they may act in ways that people don't like or don't understand. But you must know that they act those ways because it helps them get through each day. They may act obnoxious or be mean; they may act out and make us question what their motives are. But when you get to the root of their intentions, it'll always be the same thing. They do this in order to survive"

Everyone looked at her in amazement. It was surprising to see someone like Haine's age speak of wisdom that would be spoken from someone much older. It just showed how very mature she really was.

"Spoken like a true Summoner" Shaiya said.

Haine blushed and laughed nervously.

"I guess" she said.

"All those years of training really get to you"

Rukia just smirked.

"This just shows how dedicated you are to your job and what you believe in" she said.

"There's nothing to be ashamed about"

Haine smiled gratefully.

"Thank you"

She twirled her staff in her hands.

"I know I may say things that are strange or react to things that you don't normally see, but I'll try to learn your ways and try to fit in. I don't want to be an embarrassment to you all"

Renji just placed his hand on her head and gave her a slight smirk.

"There's nothing wrong with being different" he said.

"As long as you're happy with who you are, then you shouldn't worry about everyone else. Always worry about yourself"

Haine looked touched and surprised by his words.

She always grew up with the belief that everyone's needs were more important than hers. To hear someone say that it was alright to worry about her own needs touched her.

Ichigo smirked as he ruffled her hair.

"And I owe you for that" he said.

"If it wasn't for you and talking to Kenpachi, I would be probably running for my life from him. I owe you one"

Haine smiled as she fixed her hair.

"That's what I'm here for" she said.

Shaiya quickly rounded on Ichigo and Renji by hitting them in the head with her metal claw attachment.

"How dare you lay a finger on a summoner?" she cried.

"Or better yet, how dare you touch my sister?"

Renji and Ichigo yelled as Shaiya kept hitting them.

"What the hell?" Ichigo cried.

"Crazy woman!" Renji shouted.

They ran away from Shaiya as she chased them down the streets.

"You really have a nice sister, if she's looking after you like that" Rukia said.

Haine sweat dropped as she watched her sister trying to hit the two Soul Reapers.

"I do" she said.

"But then again, I have a really nice guardian"

The two girls giggled as they followed after their friends.

Haine was really enjoying her trip so far. She already made some new friends and learned new things.

She only hoped that it would continue with the rest of her journey.

/

**A/N: So Haine has made friends while Renji and Ichigo made an enemy. Who else will Haine run into as her journey to the Soul Society continues? **

**You'll just have to review to find out!**

**Ja ne!**


	6. A Gentle Soul

Chapter 6: A Gentle Soul

**A/N: Hey everyone! We're back with another chapter! Now that Haine has made new Soul Reaper friends, her next task is to try to adjust with living in a foreign world. Will she be able to do it? Or will she fail epically?**

**The only way to find out is to read the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final Fantasy X; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

"My, today was so amazing!" Haine cheered.

"I've met so many wonderful people today and learned so many things!"

Over the course of the day, she had met nearly all of the Captains and Lieutenants of the Thirteen Court Guards.

She got along well with Rangiku Mastumoto and Toshiro Hitsugaya from Squad 10. Toshiro found it very pleasant that Haine addressed him as 'Sir Hitsugaya' instead of just Toshiro. Mastumoto thought she adorable and even invited her to their next Female Association Squad meeting, much to Rukia and Renji's dismay.

With Squad 2, she became on formal terms with Soi-Fon and her lieutenant Omaeda. Soi-Fon, didn't really pay much attention to Haine during her visit but instead focused more on Shaiya. It seemed that the Blue Mage reminded her of Yoruichi with the way she held her self and with her physical appearance. Omaeda tried to pull a move on her, but ended up getting seriously beaten with Shaiya's metal claw.

Haine really enjoyed visiting Squad 7 since Captain Komamura was a giant dog and she was a huge lover of animals. She kept thinking that he was a Ronso with the way that he looked and how he carried himself. Shaiya had to practically tug her away before her sister mauled the poor Captain for being so cute.

Overall, it was a very interesting trip. Haine knew that there were still more squads to visit and she just couldn't wait.

She was really enjoying this trip so far.

Shaiya had a slight twinkle in her eyes as she watched her sister enjoying herself. Ever since she decided to become a summoner, she gave up having fun and being a normal child. She spent her days studying and praying to the faith when she could have played Blitzball or ride a Chocobo.

She really admired her sister's resolve to defeat Sin, even if she was against this whole Pilgrimage.

She prayed that she would change her mind before it was too late.

/

Haine smiled when everyone decided to stop for a quick bite to eat. Rukia brought them to a nice little tea house where they sat on the benches and looked at the view. It was a nice way to relax after a long day of walking around.

Rukia sighed contently as she sipped on her tea. She was tired after doing their patrol, but she didn't mind. She was glad that Haine had fun.

"So, did you enjoy your little tour?" Ichigo asked.

Haine smiled brightly as she nodded.

"Very much" she said.

"Thank you so much for showing me everything. I've learned so much!"

"You enjoy learning new things" Shaiya admitted.

Haine shrugged innocently.

"Every time I learn something new, I become smarter" she said.

"And a smarter summoner has a better chance of defeating Sin"

Shaiya gripped her cup tightly at that.

"Right…of course" she muttered.

Renji chewed on the stick that held his dumplings between his teeth as he looked at Haine.

"So what? Does that mean you're stupid now or something?"

Shaiya glared darkly at Renji and held her claw up.

"How dare you?" she hissed.

Rukia elbowed Renji in the gut.

"Renji!" she cried.

Haine giggled a little and waved her hand.

"Oh, don't worry, he didn't offend me" she said.

"He was just giving he his honest opinion is all"

Everyone relaxed a little, but they didn't let this go. There was no way that they were going to let Renji get away with calling their guest stupid.

"And to answer your question, no, I'm not" Haine said.

"While I may not know a lot of things, I'm smarter than most people my age. I know what I need to do to ease people's sufferings. It may not seem like much, but coming from someone like me, that means everything"

She looked up at the trees as they danced through the wind.

"I may not know what people want or what they think, but at least I try"

She smiled back at Renji.

"And every time I learn something new, I learn a new way to make people happy. So I may not be smart, but I'm not stupid. I know what people want and I make sure it happens. That is the way of a Summoner"

Renji blinked a little and blushed when he looked away. He didn't expect her to be so easy going about his answer. A normal girl would be insulted if they were called stupid.

Rukia looked at the time and noticed that it was starting to get late.

"We should probably head back" she said.

"If I don't return home, Ni-sama will start to worry"

Ichigo sighed as he drained the last of his tea.

"Then we better go" he said.

He stood up and looked at Renji.

"Well? Aren't you coming?" he asked.

Renji shrugged.

"Nah, I'll stay out for a bit longer" he said.

"There's still some places that I need to patrol "

Haine looked up at him hopefully.

"If it isn't too much to ask, could I come with you?" she asked.

"I want to see more of your world"

Renji just looked at her and shrugged.

"Whatever" he said.

Haine smiled brightly and looked at Shaiya.

"Come on, Shaiya!"

Her sister just sighed as she looked at Rukia and Ichigo.

"We'll try to be back at the Kuchiki household before dark" she said.

Rukia nodded.

"I'll let Ni-sama know" she said.

They parted ways as Haine followed Renji while Rukia and Ichigo headed back.

Shaiya muttered swears in Al Bhed as she followed after her sister. Sometimes she cursed Haine for her desire of knowledge.

/

The cool evening air was refreshing as they walked through the streets. People were either going inside for the day or taking an evening stroll. While everyone was doing something different, they all had the same trait of mind.

Enjoying a nice evening.

Haine hummed the Hymn of Faith as she walked through the streets. She gripped her staff enthusiastically whenever she saw something new.

Renji eyed her strangely.

"Why do you carry that thing around?" he asked.

Haine blinked as she looked at her staff.

"Summoners use these to help them channel their magic" she said.

She smiled and pointed towards Renji's sword.

"It's like asking why do you carry a sword around? It symbolizes who you are and what you do"

Renji blushed in anger as he looked away. There she went again with making him sound stupid.

Shaiya rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"You know, for a supposed warrior, you're rather stupid" she said.

Renji glared at her.

"And what does that suppose to mean?" he snapped.

Shaiya returned the glare as she crossed her arms.

"It means exactly what I said" she said.

"The fact that you have to question that proves how stupid you are. You ask a summoner why she carries a staff when clearly it's her weapon and yet you make it seem like she's a freak for having one. It's common sense"

A tick mark appeared on Renji's forehead.

The more that Shiaya spoke, the more it pissed him off.

"Well, I've never seen a summoner before, so how the hell was I suppose to know she carries a staff?" he asked.

Shaiya sighed as she held the bridge of her nose.

"Ed caasc ajah dra sah uh drec funmt yna cdibet. E vayn saadehk dra nacd uv oui vumg" she muttered in Al Bhed.

(A/N: It seems even the men on this world are stupid. I fear meeting the rest of you folk)

Renji fumed at that.

"Now you're speaking in gibberish just to make me appear stupid, aren't you?"

Shaiya gave him a dull glare.

"Fryd fyc ouin vencd kiacc, sunuh?"

(Translation: What was your first guess, moron?)

Haine sighed as she heard her sister bickering with Renji in Al Bhed. Even though it was frowned upon to know Al Bhed in Spira, Shaiya took great pride in it. She embraced the Al Bhed culture when a normal person would shun them away. Luckily, their father wasn't against it and was actually proud. Or it could be that his older brother married an Al Bhed woman and had a daughter with one.

Either way, whenever Shaiya started speaking in Al Bhed, that meant she was not in a good mood. And the fact that she was speaking in it to Renji showed that the Lieutenant really pissed her off.

She hung her head in shame.

"_I feel like it's my fault that this happened" _she thought.

Being the gentle soul that she was, she tended to blame herself whenever something happened that caused her sister to be unhappy. It was probably due to the fact that she was a summoner and they tended to shoulder everyone's problems and make them their own. They would do anything to ease the tension in the real world.

"_Some summoner I am. I can't even help one person out without having a fight start up and having Shaiya dragged into it"_

She kept ridiculing herself for being a poor summoner when she heard someone crying.

"Huh?"

Turning around, she saw an elderly lady carrying a small baby in her arms as she walked through one of the small parks that lined near the area.

The baby in her arms seemed to be crying uncontrollably and wouldn't stop, no matter what the old lady did.

Haine's heart broke at the sight. It always tore her up when she saw someone crying. Be it an infant or an elderly person.

She looked at her sister to see that she was still bickering with Renji before she walked up to the elderly lady. She could be away from her guardian for a few minutes.

She approached the elderly woman as she rocked the baby back and forth.

"There, there" the granny said.

The baby just kept crying as it was rocked.

The elderly woman sighed sadly when she realized that nothing seemed to work.

Haine slowly approached the granny.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

The granny looked at her before looking at the baby in her arms.

"He just won't stop crying" she explained.

Haine looked at the baby who was still crying. She remembered when she was little that whenever she cried, her father would make silly faces to cheer her up.

She tried making a silly face, hoping that it would cheer the baby, but it just made things worse and the poor thing was crying harder.

Haine panicked and bowed to the granny.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried.

The elderly woman gave her a gentle reassuring smile.

"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it" she said.

She smiled at the baby sadly.

"He always gets like this at night" she explained.

"I bring him here a lot so he won't disturb our neighbors. He won't sleep until he's worn out"

Haine nodded in understanding.

"I see"

The elderly woman looked sad for a moment.

"His mother always used to be with him" she said.

"She's always sing to him when he cried, and calm him down"

Haine looked at the elderly woman.

"Where is she now?" she asked.

The elderly woman sighed.

"She's working" she said.

"Ever since her husband got killed by a Hollow, she's taken it upon herself to work really hard so she can give her son a better life. So I'm doing my best to take care of him"

Haine grew touched for the mother. Even though her husband passed away, she was able to move forward so she could give her child a better life.

It almost reminded her of how her dad was after her mother died.

The elderly woman smiled weakly.

"My singing voice doesn't calm him down at all" she said.

Haine felt bad for the elderly woman. She was trying so hard to calm the baby down, but nothing seemed to work.

Just then, she came up with an idea.

"Please let me sing" she said.

The Elderly woman looked surprised by that.

Haine gave a gentle, yet determined look. Even if it may seem silly and pointless, she wanted to help. That was her duty as a summoner and she was going to do it. She would ease everyone's sorrows no matter how small they were.

"Please let me sing" she repeated.

"Even though I might not sing like his mother, I want to ease his suffering"

The Elderly woman thought over it for a moment before agreeing.

"Please do" she said.

Haine looked at the crying baby and thought of a song her mother used to sing to her when she was little. She would remember how soft and angelic her voice would be whenever she tried to put her children to sleep.

"_I hope I sing just as good as mother" _she thought.

She took a deep breath and started to sing.

_Haru ni saku hana_

_Natsu hirogaru sora yo_

_Kokoro no naka ni_

_Kizamarete kirameku_

As she was singing, people started to gather so they could see who was singing such a lovely song.

Renji glared at Shaiya as they continued to bicker.

"Say one more thing to me in gibberish" he threatened.

"Come on, I dare yo-"

He stopped when he heard Haine singing.

"What the hell?"

He looked over to see her singing to a baby and a crowd starting to gather.

Shaiya's eyes soften when she realized that she was singing their mother's lullaby.

"Haine" she whispered.

Haine smiled softly as she continued to sing.

_Asa ni furu ame_

_Mado o tozasu hi ni mo_

_Mune ni afureru _

_Hikari was kumo no ue_

As she was singing, it seemed her voice could be heard from a few of the Squads. Rukia and Ichigo stopped walking and turned to the source of the song as they headed back to the Kuchiki estate.

"What a gentle voice" Rukia said.

Ichigo was reminded of when his mother used to sing to him.

Jushiro and Shunsui were chatting over some sake in Jushiro's garden. They looked up as they heard the song and felt their hearts grow at ease as they continued to listen.

Byakuya was working on some paperwork for Squad 6 and stop writing as he was finishing his signature. He looked out his window into the night sky as his ears picked up the song coming from the park.

Yachiru was hyper as ever as it was getting near her bedtime. Even thought Kenpachi didn't really care how late Yachiru was up, he wished that she would go to bed soon. Little children needed to rest after all. Yachiru was giggling as she jumped all over the place from having too much candy. As she was jumped all over Kenpachi, she could hear Haine singing. She stopped jumping and looked out at the sky. She smiled brightly as she heard more of the song.

"Kenny! Isn't that a pretty song?" she asked.

Kenpachi just grunted, but didn't say anything. He really wasn't one for music, but he thought the song was ok. If it was able to stop Yachiru in her tracks, then it had to be a great song.

Everyone in the Soul Society seemed to have stopped what they were doing as they listened to Haine singing.

The Summoner smiled when she saw the baby had stopped crying and was actually smiling.

She continued to sing, knowing that it was working.

_Watashi o michibiku_

_Tooi tooi yobigoe yo_

_Hohoemu you ni_

_Utau you ni_

_Hibiku kaze no oto_

_Yorokobi kanashimi_

_Subete idaite aruite iru_

_Watashi no te to _

_Kimi no te o_

_Tsuyoku tsunagu mono_

When she finished singing, she was rewarded to see that the baby had stopped crying and was even sleeping.

Haine smiled brightly when she saw that she was able to help someone.

It seemed she wasn't a bad summoner after all.

She realized that there were other people gathering around her since they heard her singing and they applauded her.

"That was such a lovely song!" someone said.

"I've never felt so relax in such a long time" another said.

Everyone kept complimenting her and asked for her to sing another song.

Haine grew nervous and tried to back away.

"_What did I just get myself into?" _she thought.

Luckily, she was saved when Renji approached her and pulled her away from the crowd.

"Alright. Show's over" he said.

"You better head on back to your homes before you get eaten by a Hollow"

He dragged Haine away before the crowd could pester her more.

Shaiya gave her sister a dull look as they walked away.

"Only you could turn things worse while trying to make things better" she said.

Haine hung her head in shame.

"Sorry" she said.

She looked up at Renji when he let go of her hand.

"Thank you for helping me out back there" she said.

"I don't know what I would have said to those people"

Renji just gave her an indifferent look.

"Just don't make it a habit" he said.

"You may be a guest here, but you need to know how to take care of yourself. Your sister isn't always going to be there to help you out, and neither will Rukia, Ichigo or I"

Shaiya was about to snap at him for being so rude, but Haine beat her to it.

"I understand" she said.

"I may need to be protected during my travels, but I don't want to become dependent on people. If there's something that I want to do, I'll do it myself. I won't expect my sister or anyone else to do it"

Renji smirked a little at her. At least she wasn't one of those spoiled naïve girls who expected everything to be done for them. This girl knew that in order to get what she wanted she would have to obtain it herself.

"Well, at least I know that I don't have to be your babysitter twenty-four hours a day" he said.

Haine giggled a little.

"I would be a little worried if you were" she said.

She looked up at the stars that were starting to show in the sky.

"Even though I may seem defenseless, I still want to help people" she said.

"There's so much negativity in this world…I just want to be the person who lessens it and tires to bring the positive back into people's lives. While it may seem like a huge and impossible task, I'll still push forward. Even if I have to baby steps, I'll make sure that I'll be able to put smiles back on people's faces. I'll erase their sorrows and replace them with hope. I'll give them something to live for when they feel like that they have nothing left in this world"

She placed a hand over her heart.

"That is my vow as a Summoner of Spira" she said.

Renji just looked at her.

Even though she was pursuing a goal that was considered impossible and crazy, she had a will of steel. She knew what she was going to face and yet she was still pushing forward. It was that kind of attitude that the best Soul Reapers had. Even if everyone doubted them, they showed them and went against the odds.

It was that kind of spirit that Renji really admired.

He studied Haine as she gave him an innocent smile. Despite that gentle, innocent look, there was a fire burning within her heart. A fire that would never be put out, no matter what you threw at it.

The heart of a true fighter.

Even though he didn't want to admit it, he had to respect this girl. She didn't look it, but she was made of something else.

Shaiya gave her sister a scolding look.

"I know you wish to fight for what you desire, but don't overdo it" she warned.

"These things take time. You can't expect them to happen right away"

Haine nodded in understanding.

"I know" she said.

"And that's why I'm patient . A good summoner always waits"

The Elderly lady from before walked over and faced Haine.

"There you are" she said.

Haine bowed respectfully to her.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Is the baby sleeping alright?"

The Elderly smiled as she nodded.

"All thanks to you" she said.

"I wanted to express my gratitude"

She smiled down at the sleeping baby in her arms.

"It's the first time he's been so happy from listening to someone other than his mother sing" she said.

"But the moment I thought he's cheered up, he fell asleep"

She bowed to her.

"I just wanted to repay you before you left"

Haine blushed and waved her hands in front of her.

"It-it was nothing" she said.

"I just couldn't stand seeing him suffer, so I wanted to cheer him up a little. Nobody deserves to be sad"

The Elderly lady smiled at her.

"Well, can I as least know the name of such a lovely singer?" she asked.

Haine blushed some more.

"I'm Haine" she said.

"A summoner from Bevelle"

The elderly lady chuckled.

"Well, summoner Haine, you sing lovely" she said.

"I would love to listen to you sing again sometime"

Haine blushed as she nodded.

"O-ok" she said.

"Thank you"

The elderly lady bowed once more.

"Have a good evening"

She walked away with the baby still sleeping in her arms.

Haine sighed when she left.

She looked up at her sister and smiled.

"What was that about things don't happen right away?" she teased.

Shaiya grunted.

"crid ib" she muttered.

(translation: shut up)

Haine giggled when saw how embarrassed her sister was.

"I told you waiting wouldn't be so hard" she said.

"Just look how fast my work paid off?"

Shaiya glared at her.

"You keep that attitude up and you'll be going on your pilgrimage alone" she said.

Renji watched as the two sisters bickered.

He had to admit that even he was impressed with Haine. Even though the world was full of negative energy, she still kept her head high and her spirits up. Even if the world showed its hard, ugly self to her, she would push forward with her gentle, positive energy.

"_There's more to this girl than meets the eye" _he thought as watched Haine laughing.

And boy would he be surprised when he saw what other tricks this summoner had up her sleeves.

/

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter done! I must say, I had a lot of fun with this chapter. I really thought the song that Haine used was very fitting with her personality.**

**And for those of you who are wondering where this song is from. It's from the anime called 'Kobato'. It's a really cute and I recommend that you see it.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	7. The Sending

Chapter 7: The Sending

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for reviewing the last chapter! I'm glad a few of you liked Haine's song! Now we reach one of my favorite parts of Final Fantasy X: The Sending! It's such a sad yet iconic scene in the game that I just have to make a version of it for Haine. I hope you guys like it!**

**This chapter is dedicated to the families who lost a loved one to 9/11. I find it so wrong and cruel that innocent people lost their lives to this madness. My heart goes out them and I hope that they know how much they are loved. This chapter shows that even if they're gone, their sprits will always be with us. Remember to tell your friends and family how much you love them and how they mean so much to you. We live in a crazy era so you never know which day will bring. **

**Never forget!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final Fantasy X; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

A week had slowly gone by since Haine came to the Soul Society. She had learned a lot since then and was starting to understand the way things worked around here.

So far, she knew about what Soul Reapers did around here. They defended the living from beings known as Hollows and that they had special weapons called Zanpakutos. They transformed into weapons that fit the Soul Reaper's personality. She had seen Rukia and Captain Hitsugaya's weapons and couldn't help but think of the Aeon Shiva that resided within Macalania Temple. Everyone had such incredible skills and powers that it made her wonder what her skills would have been like if she was from this world.

She found it silly to think of something like that. She was happy with who she was. Being a summoner was such a high honor in Spira. It took years to prefect the skills required for the job and years of being able to summon the Aeons. The fact that she could do it at her age was such a great feat. She was sure even her Uncle Braska would be proud of her.

Being a Summoner was her duty. A duty that she would gladly follow until the day that she died. The people of Spira looked up to Summoners as beckons of hope. They made life easier for everyone, knowing that they were willing to put their lives on the line to defeat Sin.

It didn't matter if she was physically strong or if she could handle a weapon. Just the fact that she was going off to fight a being that had plagued the world for a thousand years was more than enough.

It was worth everything.

That was what she kept saying to herself on one tragic day.

/

Since Haine and her sister were residing at Byakuya's house during their stay, that meant they had to go with him to Squad 6's barracks every day.

Haine really didn't mind. She found it fascinating that places like these existed. It tended to get confusing since the hallways looked the same and would become a maze of some king. Luckily, she had Renji to guide her.

She was very grateful that the Lieutenant took time out of his busy schedule to help her out and keep an eye on her. Since he was the one who found her first (or rather was crushed by) he took it upon himself to show her the ropes around here. He complained every now and then, but Haine didn't mind. It just showed that he was an honest person and spoke his feelings.

A true, honest man in her opinion.

Today, she sat in Byakuya's office and read, or rather viewed at the books in his bookshelf. Since she was from Spira, she didn't know the first thing about reading Kanji. Spira's writing system consisted mostly of using glyphs and symbols. Here in the Soul Society, it was like reading scribbles. She didn't know what each symbol meant and what they were trying to say when they were strung together.

So to prevent herself from having a headache, she just viewed at the pictures that were in the book.

She would ask Rukia later how to read Kanji. If there was one thing she learned while staying here it was that the young Soul Reaper was willing to help her out.

Shaiya just stayed close to Haine as she skimmed through the books. Being her guardian meant that she didn't have time to relax and enjoy herself. She had to make sure her sister was safe at all costs. And the fact that they were in a foreign world meant she had to double her protection.

Haine lightly hummed the Hymn of Faith as she flipped through the pages of her book. She had never seen buildings like these before. There were some that were old and looked like they had been here for over thousands of years while others looked new or were beyond this time frame. It was like she was seeing the past and the future together.

"_And the Machina that they use" _she thought.

"_I'm sure even the Al Bhed would be amazed by how they created their machines"_

As she was looking through the book, Renji peered at her through his paperwork.

For the past week, the summoner had been nothing but puzzling to him. Wherever she went, she always seemed to have this way of easing people. Every time she saw someone sad or was down on their luck, she would go out of her way to try to help them. A fine example was when she sang that baby to sleep. He had never seen anything like it. Sure, there were people always singing here and there, but never did he see someone leave such an impact on so many people.

Even he felt it. After he heard her sing, it was as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. He thought it was rather ridiculous and didn't pay much attention to it.

But he couldn't get rid of the song in his head.

Byakuya noticed that his Lieutenant was day-dreaming and decided to fix that.

"Renji, take these forms over to Squad 11 for Captain Zaraki to sign" he said.

Renji blinked, then sighed in annoyance. This is what he got for spacing out.

He took the forms from his Captain and started to walk out.

Before he could leave the room, Haine looked up from the book she was reading and faced Renji.

"Um, is it ok if I go with you?" she asked.

Renji blinked at her.

You would think that after a week of her following him, he would get used to it, but every time she would ask, he would have this deer in the headlights look.

Why would anyone want to go with on a simple errand?

Haine smiled shyly.

"I wanted to see Sir Zaraki and Yachiru" she said.

She quickly looked at Byakuya.

"That is, if it's alright with you, Sir Byakuya"

Byakuya looked up from his paperwork and gave her his usual regal stare.

The young summoner had a pleading look as she stared at him.

He closed his eyes before going back to his work.

"As long as Lieutenant Abarai has no objections to it, then I don't see why not" he said.

Haine smiled brightly.

"Thank you!"

She looked back up at Renji.

"Well?" she asked.

Renji sweat dropped when she gave him the pleading look.

He found it a little ridiculous that she would want to go with, but he figured that she would need to know her way around here.

Sighing, he stuffed one of his hands in his pocket and waved her over with the forms.

"Let's go" he said.

Haine smiled and quickly followed after him.

Looks like she was in for another adventure.

/

"I hope you don't mind me following you everywhere" Haine said as they walked.

"It's just that I know you a little bit more than Rukia and Ichigo"

Renji dully nodded as they walked.

"I don't really mind" he said.

"However…"

A tick mark suddenly appeared on his forehead.

"Why does _she _have to tag along?" he asked as he pointed to Shaiya.

The blue mage gave him an icy glare as they walked.

"I'm her guardian, so I have to come with" she said.

"Wherever Haine goes, I go. Simple as that"

Renji glared back at her as they walked.

Ever since that night in the park, they had been butting heads. Renji thought she was an arrogant know it all who thought he was an idiot while Shaiya thought he was a cocky, full of himself airhead who had no regards for other people.

Haine sweat dropped at the scene and gently pulled them apart.

"Now, now. There's no need to fight" she said.

"I understand that you're doing your job, Shaiya, but we're guests. We need to listen to Renji since he knows more about this world than we do"

Renji had a smug look on his face.

"Yeah, you should listen to your sister more often" he said.

Shaiya just growled at him.

Haine quickly turned around and reprimanded him.

"And the same goes for you" she said.

"True, we're your guests, but you need to set a better example. If you keep arguing with everyone that you associate with, people won't talk to you as often. You don't want that, now do you?"

Renji looked a little taken aback at being lectured but a mere summoner, but he didn't say anything. She did have a point. Rukia was always scolding him for fighting with Ichigo all the time. If he kept this up, he would never become a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guards.

He sighed and rubbed his neck.

"Yes, ma'am" he said.

Haine smiled brightly.

"Good! And on that note, let's get going!"

She walked ahead of them with a slight skip in her step while Renji and Shaiya followed.

The two of them kept glaring at each other as they went.

"cdibet fynneun" she muttered. (Translation: stupid warrior)

"Stuck up, bitch" Renji replied.

/

When the three of them arrived at Squad 11's barracks, Renji cringed. He knew how Kenpachi was with paperwork. The man tried to avoid it like it was the plague.

Haine looked at the hallways as they wandered deeper into the Squad 11 barracks. It looked the same as Squad 6, but it wasn't as decorative. It was a lot plainer, or rather dull.

"_I guess Sir Zaraki doesn't like to decorate" _she thought.

Shaiya didn't say anything as they walked. She really didn't like being here or having to follow a Lieutenant who was cocky and arrogant. She despised men who thought they were full of themselves and were the top dogs. It just reminded her of high priests back at Bevelle. They thought they were the real thing for being high officials in the heart of Yevon. Sure, there were a few women priestesses, but the men always took it to the next level. They always did.

Renji stood in front of Kenpachi's office and sighed deeply. This would not end well and he knew it.

He peered over his shoulder to look at Haine.

"You might want to step back" he said.

"Captain Zaraki tends to have an attitude when it comes to paperwork and it won't be pretty"

Haine blinked in confusion but nodded. Since Renji knew more about everyone here, then she should listen.

She took a step back and watched as Renji braced himself. The Lieutenant gulped and put on a strong face as he knocked on the door.

"Captain Zaraki, its Lieutenant Abarai" he called out.

He heard Kenpachi grunt, so he figured that was his way of saying 'enter'.

He slowly opened the door and closed it behind him. No need to Haine to see the mess that was about to unfold.

Haine couldn't hear what was being said inside. All she heard was muffling. She could tell by the tone of voices that it was mostly Renji talking. She figured that he was trying to ask Kenpachi to sign the paperwork that Byakuya sent.

That shouldn't be too bad, right?

Wrong!

The next thing she knew, the office door flew off from its hinges as Kenpachi threw a chair at it.

Shaiya quickly pulled her out of the way before she could get hit and went into defensive mode. If things were flying, then she was going to have to crack some skulls open.

With the door gone, they could easily hear what was being said in the office.

"God Damn that stick-up-his ass, Kuchiki!" Kenpachi shouted.

"How many fucking times do I have to tell him to stop sending me fucking paperwork?"

Renji backed up against the wall in case the Captain decided the throw something else.

"I-it's not my fault!" he insisted.

"Captain Kuchiki just told me to bring it here! Don't shoot the messenger!"

"Oh, I'm not gonna shoot you" Kenpachi growled.

"I'm going to tear you limb from limb for even thinking about sending me paperwork"

Renji backed further into the wall.

"Oh, come on!" he cried.

Haine; fearing that Renji was about to be killed, quickly rushed into the office. She didn't want him to get hurt just because he was following orders.

"Sir Zaraki! Wait!" she cried.

She quickly stood in front of Renji and bowed to Kenpachi.

"Please don't hurt Renji. He was just following orders"

Renji was bewildered. He didn't expect Haine to come in here. True, he feared for his life a tiny bit, but he knew that Kenpachi really wouldn't kill him. He tended to act rash, but he wouldn't go that far. He was a Captain for crying out loud.

But then again, it was nice to be saved.

Kenpachi raised an eyebrow at her.

"Huh?" he said.

Haine looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Please don't kill Renji" she repeated.

"He didn't do anything wrong"

Kenpachi rubbed the back of his neck in a confused manner.

"I'm not gonna kill him" he said.

Haine blinked in confusion.

"But you said…" she trailed off.

Yachiru giggled as she ran up to her.

"It's Hai-Hai!" she cried.

She latched herself to the summoner's legs and laughed.

"Kenny always acts like he wants to kill people" she explained.

"He just doesn't like paperwork"

Haine blushed when she realized that she made a fool of herself.

"O-oh" she said.

She quickly bowed to Kenpachi again.

"I'm so sorry, Sir Zaraki. I thought you were going to hurt Renji"

Kenpachi just grunted in response.

Renji pulled himself off the wall and held out the folder of papers that needed to be signed.

"As much as I know that you hate paperwork, could you please just sign it so you can get it done and over with?"

Kenpachi just growled and snatched the file from him. Stomping over to his desk, he sat in his seat and scribbled his name on the pages.

Yachiru jumped up onto Haine's back since Kenpachi was occupied at the moment.

"What brings you here, Hai-Hai?" she asked.

Haine smiled gently at the little girl.

"I just thought I would stop by to say hi" she said.

"That was really nice of you!" Yachiru beamed.

"Isn't that right, Kenny?"

Kenpachi just grunted as he continued to sign his name on the forms.

"vuumecr fynneun" Shaiya said. (Translation: foolish warrior)

Yachiru laughed.

"You talk funny!" she cried.

Haine smiled nervously. She found it a little unnerving that such a young child could talk so bluntly.

"It's Al Bhed" she explained.

"It's a language that's spoken from my world"

"Although people hate it when they hear it" Shaiya growled. Her hatred for Spirains who despised the Al Bhed.

Yachiru giggled.

"Say something else in All Bed!" she cried.

Shaiya sweat dropped with how it was pronounced wrong, but let it slide since it came from a kid.

She looked at Renji and came up with an idea.

"dra nat raytat fynneun haqd du sa ec tispan dryh y Kiytu" (the red headed warrior next to me is dumber than a Guado"

A tick mark appeared on Renji's forehead.

"I may not know what you're saying, but I know when I'm being insulted" he snapped.

Shaiya raised a dull eyebrow.

"Oh, so you're smarter than you look" she said.

"What a surprise"

Renji was about to make a smart comment but was cut off when a sudden flare of spiritual pressure surged throughout the room. It was so foul and evil that only one soul could create this kind of pressure.

A Hollow.

Haine gripped Yachiru as she felt the negative spiritual vibes coming from everywhere. Since she was tied with the spiritual Aeons, she was able to sense the Hollows.

"What is this evil aura that I feel?" she asked.

"It's so sinister and foul"

Roars could be heard from outside. Renji gripped his Zanpakuto and looked like he was about to pull it out. He didn't expect Hollows to be attacking so soon since Aizen's defect, but it seemed with the way things were lately the Hollows wanted to attack when they were vulnerable.

Kenpachi grinned like a maniac as he shot up from his seat and knocked his desk over.

"Finally" he said.

"I was starting to get bored with the lack of action around here"

Yachiru giggled.

"Are you going to break your record Kenny?" she asked.

Kenpachi grinned darkly.

"Only one way to find out"

He ran out of the room with his Zanpakuto drawn and headed to where the action was.

Renji pulled out Zabimaru from its sheath and looked at Haine.

"Stay here" he said.

"You'll be safe"

Haine stood up in defiance as she still held Yachiru.

"No" she said.

"I can't let you run off to some unknown presence. That aura is evil. Only a White Mage could cleanse something that foul"

Renji gave her a dull look and shook his head.

Out of all the times that she had to be stubborn, she had to pick now. Didn't she realize that fighting Hollows was no walk in the park? He could tell right away that she was not fighting material.

"Trust me, I've dealt with these things before" Renji said.

"You'll just get in the way"

Shaiya quickly got in his face.

"You dare mock my sister's abilities in front of me?" she seethed.

"I should rip your head off for that"

Renji glared at her. He really didn't have time to deal with this right now.

"Look, you two aren't from around here" he said.

"I've been fighting Hollows a lot longer than you have. You don't even know what a Hollow is capable of. Just stay here and don't do anything. You'll only get hurt"

"That's all the more reason why I should come with you" Haine insisted.

"If people get hurt, who will heal them? I can use my magic. Please, let me come with"

Renji gave her a stern look.

"No. you stay here and that's final"

Yachiru suddenly kicked Renji in the shin and caused him to kneel to the floor.

"You're no fun, pineapple head!" she chirped.

She let go of Haine and smiled up at her.

"I'll take you with! You can see Kenny fight!"

Haine gave her a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Yachiru"

The bubblegum haired Lieutenant nodded.

"Follow me!"

She ran out of the office with Haine hot on her trail.

Shaiya followed after them while she gave Renji a dull glare.

"See you later, foolish warrior"

Renji grunted as he stood up and picked up Zabimaru.

"Wait!"

He ran after them with a slight limp in his step.

When this was over, he was really going to chew Yachiru out.

/

People were screaming as they ran through the streets. Haine had to keep moving out of the way as people rushed by to either get away from the chaos or head towards it to fight.

She gripped her staff tightly in fear since she had never seen such chaos like this before. The last time that she saw so much fear on people's faces was when Sin attacked Spira 10 years ago. She would never forget the fear she saw in everyone's eyes as they thought that each day might be their last. And as she saw people running the streets, she could see that same fear again.

Shaiya held onto her whip tightly as people ran past them. She didn't know what a Hollow was or what it looked liked. But after facing so many fiends in Spira, she wasn't going to take any chances.

Yachiru ran in the opposite direction that everyone else was running. While everyone was running from the danger, they were running towards it.

"Where are these Hollows?" Haine asked.

"I don't see anything"

Yachiru giggled.

"They're probably being killed by Kenny" she said.

"He always loves fighting them"

"That doesn't sound reassuring" Shaiya said.

As they ran, a Hollow suddenly smashed through one of the walls they were near and roared loudly.

Haine paled in fear when she saw the grotesque white mask the monster was wearing and the empty cavity in its chest. She could sense such horrid vibes coming from the beast that it sent shivers up her spine.

"Here's one!" Yachiru cried.

Haine quickly panicked and grabbed Yachiru, pinning the girl to her chest. She couldn't let a little girl like her get hurt by something like this.

Shaiya quickly got in front of them and snapped her whip a couple of times. She didn't know what a Hollow's weakness was, but she was going to find out.

Drool dripped from the Hollow's mouth as it closed in on Shaiya.

The blue mage just glared at the beast and held her whip tightly.

"You don't scare me" she said.

The Hollow raised its hand up to smash her, only to have it knocked away by a stream of pink cherry blossom petals.

"Scatter, Senbozakura"

Shaiya looked at who intervened with her fight, only to see Byakuya holding the hilt of his sword.

"Sir Kuchiki!" Haine cried.

Byakuya had Senbonzakura summoned back to him and reverted back into a blade. The Captain sheathed his Zanpakuto and walked towards them.

"I trust that you were not harmed?" he inquired.

Haine nodded.

"We're fine, thanks to you" she said.

"Bya-kun saved the day!" Yachiru cheered.

Byakuya closed his eyes in annoyance before looking at Shaiya.

"That was rather reckless of you to take on a Hollow like that" he said.

"Especially since you've never fought with one"

Shaiya growled in when she felt insulted for her fighting skills.

"It's better than doing nothing and having us get killed" she retorted.

"I rather be reckless than be a coward. What kind of guardian would I be otherwise?"

Byakuya didn't respond. He found no reason to. Because he could see himself in her place if it were Rukia that was in trouble.

Haine approached them as she still held Yachiru. The pink Lieutenant squirmed in her grip.

"You can let me go, Hai-Hai" she said.

Haine shook her head.

"You're just a little girl" she said.

"I don't want to see you get hurt"

"But I'm a Lieutenant" Yachiru pointed out.

"I'm really strong"

Haine shook her head again.

"You're still a little girl" she said.

"I'm not trying to insult you on your ability to fight. But I just can't stand by and let a little girl fight these monsters"

Yachiru blinked for a moment and shrugged. She wasn't one to hold a grudge or anything like that. Besides, she liked being held.

"Ni-sama!"

"Byakuya!"

Rukia and Ichigo cam running towards them. They appeared to have just fought with a few Hollows since their Zanpakuto's were drawn.

Haine smiled in relief when she saw that her friends were alright.

"Rukia! Ichigo!" she said.

"Praise be to Yevon that you're alright"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the strange greeting, but Rukia elbowed him in the gut before he could say anything.

"What are you doing out here, Haine? It's dangerous" she said.

Haine gave her a stern look.

"I know, but I can't stand by while you're off trying to protect everyone" she said.

"I'm here to help. I may not be skilled in fighting, but at least I can heal the injured"

Rukia sighed. She didn't like that Haine was out here in the danger, but she did have a valid point. She didn't know where Captain Unohana was and she didn't know how close she could get to them in time.

She just had to trust Haine with this.

"Alright" she said.

"But you stay close at all times, understand?"

Haine nodded.

"I understand"

Ichigo noticed that they were missing one person.

"Hey, where's Renji?" he asked.

As if on cue, the Renji head came running up to them with a slight limp in his step.

"Hey! It's Pineapple head!" Yachiru cried.

Renji glared at the little girl.

"I'm going to kill you when this is all over" he growled.

Rukia glared at him and punched him in the gut.

"You idiot! Where the hell were you?" she snapped.

"How could you leave Haine and Shaiya out here when there are Hollows attacking?"

Renji rubbed the sore spot from where Rukia hit him and glared at her.

"It's not my fault" he said.

"That little imp kicked me in the shin and dragged them off. I ran after them to make sure they didn't get hurt"

"It doesn't change the fact that you let them run off in the first place" Byakuya said.

"As Lieutenant, it is your job to protect our guests and make sure no harm comes to them"

Renji looked at the ground and gripped Zabimaru tightly. It was so humiliating to be lectured by his Captain in front of his friends and guests.

Haine felt bad for him. It was kind of her fault that he was getting lectured after all.

She looked at Byakuya.

"Please don't be so hard on him" she insisted.

"He tried to stop us, but we just wouldn't listen. If you are to be angry with someone, then be angry at me for not following orders"

Byakuya shook his head.

"It doesn't change the fact that Lieutenant Abarai failed to follow orders" he stated.

Haine looked up at him sadly.

"But…"

She whipped her head around when she heard another Hollow roaring. Looking up, she saw a Menos Grande towering over them. The hideous monster peered at them with its beady little eyes and found them as prey.

Raising its large foot, it attempted to squash them like bugs.

"Run!" Rukia cried.

Byakuya and Ichigo quickly grabbed the two girls and sprinted away before the foot could crush them.

Renji jumped out of the way and glared at the Hollow.

"You're not getting away so easily" he stated.

He held Zabimaru in front of him and released its Shikai form.

"Roar! Zabimaru!"

The Zanpakuto transformed into its spiked like form. Renji jumped up and launched his attack.

"Take this!"

He swung Zabimaru and had the blade stretch out like a spiked whip.

The Menos saw the attack and quickly deflected it by grabbing the blade and throwing it to the ground. Renji hurtled to the ground from the sheer force and crashed into the ground.

The Menos roared again before it opened its mouth and had a Cero forming.

"Crap!" Renji cried.

He got back up and swung Zabimaru at the Menos before it could fire the Cero. The tip of the sword hit the Menos in the face, but the force of the impact caused the Menos to fire off its Cero and aim it at one of the areas in the Soul Society.

Renji watched in horror as the Cero caused a small explosion and destroyed everything within range.

The Lieutenant had murder written on his face as he faced the Hollow. Gripping Zabimaru in a death grip, he swung the blade with all his might at the foul creature. The blade's sharp edge sunk into the white mask and cracked it in half.

The hollow gave off a roar as it disintegrated into black particles.

When the fight was over, the others slowly approached Renji.

Rukia looked at the place where the Menos Grande shot off the Cero. It was one of the more populated areas in the Soul Society. And that meant a lot of people were hurt and killed.

"Good god" Ichigo breathed. He had seen Hollows do damage, but none like this.

Renji's shoulders shook in aggravation. He just let tons of innocent people get killed because of his slip up. If he had acted quicker, if he had dodged the attack, then none of this would have happened.

Rukia watched as Renji tried to keep his feelings bottled up. She knew what he was going through, but she knew that it wasn't his fault. The Menos just had the upper hand in the attack and got the best of them.

"Renji"

The Lieutenant spun on his heel so he wouldn't have to face everyone. He was so ashamed for what he let unfold.

Haine hugged Yachiru tightly. She could sense the sadness coming from his being.

"Renji" she said.

Renji closed his eyes. He didn't need this right now.

"Let's checked for the injured" he said.

He ran off without even waiting for their response.

Ichigo swore under his breath as he followed him. Everyone slowly followed as they headed for the wreckage.

This was a moment that they wished never happened.

/

People were crying as they gathered neared the bodies of the deceased. So many lives were lost in that attack that they couldn't believe that it had happened. Why did this have to happen to them? What did they do wrong?

Torches were lit as they put the bodies near a lake. Water always symbolized purification so they wanted to preserve the souls before they became corrupted. They lost their loved ones to the Hollows, they didn't want them to turn into them as well.

Yamamoto gripped his cane harshly as he looked at the sight. It seemed the Soul Society was cracking since the defect of Aizen. He was losing control of the peace and balance that he created for thousands of years. Hell was slowly breaking loose.

He turned to Kenpachi and Byakuya.

"We need to perform a Konso immediately" he ordered.

"We can't risk the chance of them turning into Hollows"

Haine looked at Rukia.

"What happens if they don't perform it?" she asked.

Rukia looked at the ground with a grim look on her face.

"If we don't send their souls to the other realm, then they'll become Hollows" she said.

"When one dies so suddenly, they start to envy the living and wish to come back. When that happens they become Hollows, the things that ended their lives"

Haine gasped in horror. That sounded so much like what happens to a soul in Spira. If a person died and wasn't sent to the Farplanes, then they came back as fiends and preyed on the living. It was sad to see an innocent soul become so corrupted.

"A-and the longer you wait to send them off?" she asked.

"The greater the chance of them changing" Rukia finished.

A hand flew towards Haine's mouth. She couldn't let that happen. These were innocent souls that had nothing to do with this.

She had to fix this quick. She had to perform a sending.

"Sir Yamamoto!" she cried.

She quickly ran towards the head captain and bowed to him.

"Sir Yamamoto, please let me perform a sending" she pleaded.

As the two of them talked, Ichigo looked at Shaiya. The blue mage had a grim look on her face, just like everyone else.

"So, what's a sending?" he asked.

"Are we going somewhere?"

Shaiya gave him a glare for his stupidity. This was no time to act like an idiot.

She looked back at her sister as she tried to convince Yamamoto to perform a sending.

She closed her eyes grimly.

"The dead need guidance" she explained.

"Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. You see, they envy the living. And in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should these souls remain in this world, they become fiends, or in your case, Hollows that prey on the living"

She looked at Renji who wore a grim look on his features.

"Sad, isn't it?" she asked.

Renji tensed up. He didn't need to be reminded of his mistakes.

Shaiya looked back at her sister.

"The Sending takes the souls to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace" she said.

Rukia looked at her.

"Summoners do this?" she asked.

Shaiya nodded.

"That is one of their main functions in Spira" she said.

"They are the pillars of hope for the innocent. As long as they're here, they won't have to fear about becoming Fiends. They may lack in physical strength, but they make up for it with their overwhelming spiritual strength"

Rukia was amazed. She never realized that their guest has such an important job.

She looked at Haine to see that Yamamoto finally agreed.

"Very well" he said.

"But make it quick. We can't have these souls in the presence of Hollows"

Haine nodded.

"Yes sir"

She turned to the grieving families and gave them a sad smile.

"Please don't be sad" she said.

"They'll be resting soon"

She went over to the water and quickly removed her boots. This would be her first Sending, so she didn't want to fail.

Gripping her staff, she slowly walked on the water. She could hear a few people gasp at the sight of her walking on top of the water, but she didn't mind them. She had a job to do and she had to do it quick. She walked towards the center of the pool and looked at the bodies that were sealed up and ready for their sending.

Biting her lip to prevent the tears from flowing, she held her staff high and started the Sending dance.

Everyone watched as she slowly spun around and twirled her staff around her. She looked so serious as she performed the moves that it was memorizing. Families cried for their lost ones, knowing that they would never see them again. Haine continued the dance as she slowly twirled the staff in her hands and held it high. As she danced, the souls of the dead floated from their bodies and surrounded her.

"What the hell?" Ichigo said.

Rukia elbowed him.

"Shh!" she hissed.

Renji jumped when the torches burst into blue flames. This was starting to get really creepy.

The water surrounding Haine shot up and performed a pillar. The more she danced, the more it rose.

The Captains watched as the souls rose up to the sky, where they could rest in peace.

"This is pretty messed up" Kenpachi said.

Byakuya and Yamamoto didn't say anything. They were watching as Haine finished the Sending.

As Haine performed the final pose of the sending, she let a tear escape her eyes. Her heart went out to the departed and prayed that they were resting in peace now.

She slowly walked back to the shore and faced everyone.

"It is done" she said.

"They're at peace"

Yamamoto nodded.

"I respect you for acting quickly" he said.

"That was smart on your part"

Haine figured that was his way of saying thank you, so she nodded.

She turned to the grieving families and gave them a gentle smile.

"They're at peace now" she said.

"You have nothing to worry about"

A couple of people managed to nod and thank you.

"Thank you, Lady Summoner, thank you!"

Haine weakly smiled to them before she walked over to Shaiya.

"How was that?" she asked.

Shaiya gave her sister a rare smile as she wiped the tear from her eye.

"It was good" she said.

"But next time don't cry. You need to be strong for everyone"

Haine nodded as she dried her face off.

"Of course" she said.

Rukia came over to her and smiled softly at her.

"That was breathtaking" she said.

"I've never seen anything like it"

Ichigo ruffled her hair and in friendly manner.

"You really are something, Haine" he said.

Haine smiled at the attention she was getting. It was nice to know that people appreciated what she did for people.

Renji stood away from the group as everyone gave Haine attention. He had to admit, he was amazed by the scene. He had never seen anything so beautiful yet sad at the same time. It seemed that every time he figured out Haine, she would surprise him by showing him something new. It was like she had so many tricks up her sleeves.

As he watched her talk to his friends, he realized that he was starting to see what a summoner really was.

/

**A/N: and there you have it. I know it was a really sad chapter, but you kind of need those for stories. Now Renji is starting to see what Haine is really made of. I wonder what his reaction will be like when he sees her summon Aeons? **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review!**

**Ja ne!**


	8. Laugh it out

Chapter 8: Laugh it out

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I update this story, blame writer's block. I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter. That was one of my favorite scenes from the game (that and the kissing scene, but that's a given). **

**Now we devil into more of Haine as she shows what it takes to be a summoner. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final Fantasy X; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy! **

/

The water subsided as Haine finished the sending. After her little performance during the tragic Hollow attack, Captain Yamamoto had given her permission to perform the sending. With death always present thanks to the Hollows, the Soul Society wanted to prevent more Hollows from appearing. And since the Soul Reapers didn't have enough time to send the departed to the afterlife, they left it up to their guest Summoner.

Haine walked away from the water and stepped onto land. She smiled weakly to her sister when she saw her. It always pained her when she had to send a soul away. It showed her just how delicate life really was. People took it for granted and would forget that they could die so easily.

It was so painful.

Shaiya cupped her face in a soothing manner. She may have acted strict, but she was still a caring sister.

"I know it's hard" she said.

"But you need to be strong. This is your duty as a summoner"

Haine nodded as she wiped a tear running down her face.

"I know" she said.

"I need to be strong if I want to save Spira and protect Yuna. But…it's just so hard…and so sad"

Shaiya sighed quietly as she hugged her sister. It was moments like these that she wished that her sister wasn't a summoner. Haine was so kind and gentle. She didn't deserve to shoulder such a heavy burden like saving Spira. But her heart was in the right place, so that could be why she felt she needed to do this.

Haine smiled at her sister when she let her go. She was so thankful that she had her sister here to help her through this pilgrimage.

And she had her new friends.

Speaking of which, she looked over to see Rukia standing a little ways off. She was in charge of watching her today, so she came with while Haine performed the sending. It was nice to know that she was kind enough that she would be willing to stay with her, even though it wasn't her job.

She was a true friend.

Rukia went up to them when the sending was finished.

"You did well" she said.

Haine smiled weakly.

"Thank you for coming with us, Rukia" she said.

"You didn't have to though"

Rukia shook her head.

"It's my duty to protect you while you're staying here" she said.

"Besides, we're friends, right?"

Haine laughed a little at that. It was nice to know that she had a friend in Rukia. Since she spent most of her life training to become a summoner, she didn't have a lot of time to hang out and be with friends. She didn't have friends to begin with. It was a sad thing, but she knew that she did it for a good cause.

The fact that she could have a friend now while on her journey just gave her more reason to defeat Sin. She didn't want to lose the ones that she cherished.

Shaiya gently guided her sister away from the sending sight and went up on the dirt road. She had to teach her sister to push forward and not dwell on the past. Those who couldn't let go usually ended up as fiends when they die. In order to rest in peace, you needed to let go and let your fate carry you away.

Haine brushed the last of her tears away. It was still hard to send a soul to the farplanes, knowing that their family would never see them again.

Rukia could sense her sadness. She felt the same way when fighting Hollows, knowing that they were once people who had lives and families. By taking a person away like that was like taking a part of your life as well.

She gripped her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I know it's hard" she said.

Haine gave her a small, grateful smile.

"Thank you" she said.

Shaiya smirked a little Rukia reminded her a lot of their cousin Yuna. Her heart was in the right place and she knew what it was like to put yourself before other people.

"_She would make a fine Summoner in Spira" _she thought.

Rukia decided to pull Haine out of her sad state. And the only thing she could think of was to talk about random stuff.

"Hey, Haine. You never really did tell me about your world" she said.

"What's Spira like?"

Haine brightened up at the mention of her home.

"Oh, it's amazing!" she said.

"It's very different from the Soul Society. Spira is more open and very rural. There are a lot of islands that are surrounded by vast amounts of sea. Some islands are very big while others are usually small. The bigger ones usually hold temples where the Aeons are held. Summoners usually head for these areas more than the smaller ones. They're very far from each other, but the trip is worth it"

Rukia smiled.

"Sounds interesting" she said.

Haine nodded.

"It is! And Spira has these adorable Chocobos!"

Rukia raised an eyebrow.

"Chocobos?"

Shaiya rolled her eyes in annoyance. Haine simply loved Chocobos. She would beg to her to get one whenever they saw them.

Haine squealed when she thought about her favorite fully birds.

"Chocobos are giant bird like creatures that roam around Spira" she said.

"You can ride them sometimes or keep them as pets. They're so cute and fluffy! I just love watching them run and chirp at everything they see. And they're so adorable when they're little! You can fit them into your hand!"

Rukia felt the same way whenever she saw anything that dealt with Chappy. She loved the little bunny logo so much that she used it in her drawings.

"They sound so cute!" she said.

"I love cute things!"

Haine giggled as she nodded.

"Me too! I want a Chocobo so bad, but my sister won't let me get one"

A tick mark appeared on Shaiya's forehead.

"May I remind you that you're on your pilgrimage and that you don't have time to be tending to a pet?" she said.

Haine gave her sister a pouting look.

"But Shaiya! We could use the Chocobo during our travels!" she said.

"Think of how easier it would be to travel on Chocobo than on foot? We would get away from danger faster"

"The answer's no, Haine"

Haine slumped her shoulders in defeat. Why must her sister be so mean when it came to getting a Chocobo?

Rukia patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, my Ni-sama acts the same way when I want to get anything that has Chappy on it" she said.

"It annoys me, but I'm sure he knows best. Your sister is probably the same"

Haine puffed her cheeks out in annoyance for a second. Despite being mature for someone her age, she had her childish moments.

"I guess" she said.

"But that doesn't mean I like it"

Shaiya gave her sister a cruel smirk. These were one of the times where she let her strict sides show. She had to since she was both a sister and a mother to Haine.

"Live with it" she said.

Haine gave her an angry look.

"You're mean!"

Rukia just laughed at the scene. She had seen Ichigo arguing with his sisters back in the world of the living, so she always found it funny when siblings argued over the tiniest little things.

Haine quickly composed herself when she finished her pout. She was a summoner, so she had to act mature for people. No one wanted a childish summoner defending them from Sin.

She quickly looked at Rukia and smiled.

"So what's Chappy?" she asked.

/

Renji was utterly miserable.

He still couldn't get over the fact that he let so many people die because of his carelessness.

Why did he have to act so foolish? Why did he let things get to his head?

Everyone told him it wasn't his fault and that more would have died if he didn't do anything. But that didn't change the fact that he let people die.

It was shameful for a Soul Reaper, especially when you were a Lieutenant.

Ichigo went up to him. He had been watching the red head acting all gloomy during the day and it was starting to rub off on him.

He understood completely what he was going through. He felt like it was his fault that his mother died when he was young. It tore him up inside that he took away someone from his family. But he learned that his mother died because she wanted to protect him. She would have felt horrible if she saw that the son that she saved just withered away.

He could see the same look in Renji's eyes as he looked out at nothing. He felt that he took someone away from someone's family.

This was really out of character for someone like Renji. He needed to get him out of this funk.

"Hey" he said.

Renji looked at him for a moment before looking away. He didn't need to be bothered right now.

Ichigo growled at being ignored and pushed forward.

"Come on. It wasn't your fault" he said.

Renji's fist flinched. He was getting tired of hearing that.

"It's not like you planned on letting that Hollow attack" Ichigo continued.

"If you hadn't done anything, a lot of people would have been killed. Stop being so glum and pick yourself up. You're a Lieutenant, so start acting like one"

Renji gave him a cold glare.

Just who the hell did he think he was?

He stood up quickly and got right into his face.

"You don't tell what to do with my life" he said.

"You weren't the one who let those people died. You don't know what I'm going through, so just butt out"

Ichigo glared in return.

"You're right, I don't know what you're going through" he said.

"But being sad and gloomy isn't going to fix anything. Those families didn't blame you for what happened, so why should you?"

Renji growled.

Why did everyone have to be so cheerful about this? People died because of him. They should be angry with him.

He was so frustrated with himself that he just had to let it all out.

Filling up his lungs, he let out a loud and powerful scream. He was so frustrated and angry with himself that he just had to let it out.

Ichigo jumped a little at the scene. This was really out of character for Renji.

Rukia and the others just so happened to be walking by when this happened and jumped as well when they heard the scream.

"Renji?" Rukia cried.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Probably couldn't handle the fact that he's just a puny warrior" Shaiya said.

Haine gave her sister a scolding look before looking at Renji. She was a little worried about what was going on through her red headed friend's mind and wanted to find out. No one screamed like that just because they felt like it.

Ichigo gave Renji a harsh stare. Now he was starting to act rude by being immature in front of a couple of women.

"Renji, what the hell is the matter with you?" he asked.

Renji just stormed off without even saying anything.

"What the hell?" Ichigo said.

Rukia went up to him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Ichigo shook his.

"No idea" he said.

"I think he's still shaken up over what happened with that Hollow incident"

Rukia's eyes softened at that. Now it made sense. Renji must have felt horrible about what happened. He always had a soft spot for those who didn't live within the Soul Society and lived out in the poorer districts. He used to live that way so he went out of his way to help those in need. The fact that he let people die from that area was like a stab to the heart to him.

Haine looked between Rukia and Ichigo then to where Renji ran off to. She really didn't understand what was going on, but she did know that Renji was suffering. She had to fix that before his sprit shattered any further.

She looked at Shaiya and gave her a knowing look.

"I'll be right back"

Shaiya simply nodded, knowing that once her sister made up her mind, there was no way of stopping her.

"Make it quick" she said.

Haine nodded and went to where Renji ran off to.

Rukia and Ichigo watched as she confidently headed off on her own.

"Where the hell is she going?" Ichigo asked.

Shaiya sighed.

"Off to spread her special charm"

/

Renji gripped the railings of the bridge that he was standing on and just looked at the water.

It was childish of him to just scream like that and storm off. But he just didn't know what to do. He was so angry with himself that he just had to let it out.

It made him feel a little bit better, but it wouldn't take away the pain that he was feeling. Nothing would ever take this pain away.

He gripped the railing to the point that his knuckles turned white.

Haine slowly came up next to him and stood silently.

"Hey there" she said softly.

Renji jumped a little, not realizing Haine was next to him until just then.

He just looked at her for a moment before looking away. He didn't want to hear her saying that it wasn't his fault either.

Haine tucked a strand behind her ear.

"It's a lovely day out" she said.

Renji just nodded dully.

"I guess" he said.

Haine looked at him.

"You sound sad" she said.

Renji sighed. Why was she beating around the bush? He knew why she was here, so why couldn't she just say it.

"Yeah…maybe" he mumbled.

Haine clasped her hands behind her back.

"You wanna scream?" she asked.

Renji just shook his head.

"I don't think that's going to work" he said.

"Once was enough for me"

Haine 'hummed' in response.

She propped herself up on the railing and faced him. She could understand what Renji was going through, but she wouldn't say anything about it. Everyone kept saying that it wasn't his fault for what happened, and that didn't change anything.

She would have to go with a different approach with this.

"Mind if I tell you a story?" she asked.

Renji just nodded dully. He really didn't want to hear a story, but it would have been rude if he said no.

Haine sighed as she looked up at the sky.

"Did you know that my mother died because of Sin?" she asked.

Renji looked at her strangely. Why was she bringing this up?

Haine nodded as she smiled sadly.

"My aunt as well" she said.

"They were going to visit my Aunt's family on one of the smaller islands in Spira. My father and Uncle Braska would have gone with, but they had to stay with me along with my sister and cousin since we were too young to travel. It was just going to be for a couple of days, nothing more. None of us expected anything to happen. And yet…on their way…Sin attacked their ship"

A tear threatened to fall from her face.

"Everyone died on the ship, including my mother and my aunt" she said.

She looked up at the sky sadly.

"My father and my uncle were so devastated. Especially my uncle since it was his idea that my aunt should go visit her family. My father was so torn over what happened. He felt like it was his fault that my mother died and that he was a failure as a husband. My uncle felt the same way, but he knew, feeling bad for himself wouldn't bring him back. After Sin took their loved ones away, my uncle sought out to become a summoner so he could prevent Sin from taking another loved one from someone's family. Even though he knew it wouldn't bring back my mother or my aunt, he still pushed forward because that was the only way he could make up for his horrible mistake"

She smiled weakly at her uncle's sacrifice.

"And he succeeded" she said.

"He defeated Sin, but at a heavy price"

She looked at Renji and patted his hand.

"I won't say it wasn't your fault for what happened to those people" she said.

"Instead, all I ask is that you push hard and make sure that no one else will have to die. Learn from your mistakes and push forward"

Renji stayed quiet for a moment. He wasn't expecting her to lecture him in a way. She looked like the type of person who would take pity on you and shower you with comforting words. But no, she was giving him a life's lesson and telling him to move on from his mistakes.

Renji looked at the water.

"I don't know if I can" he said.

Haine laughed weakly as she let her legs dangle from the railing.

"It may seem hard, but sometimes the hardest things to aim for lead to the greatest rewards" she said.

"At least, that's what my uncle would always say"

She fiddled with her fingers a little.

"It's embarrassing to say this but…summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light" she said.

"A lot of people in Spira depend on us. I learned to practice smiling when I'm feeling sad"

She looked at Renji and gave him a weak smile.

"I know it's hard" she said.

"Especially when you have so many people counting on you"

Renji looked at her before rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah….I understand" he said.

"I think"

Haine smiled and jumped off the railing.

"Alright then, let's see what you can do" she said.

Renji gave her a confused look.

Haine smiled and pointed to her face.

"Smile!" she said.

Renji blinked. Did she really expect him to smile?

"Go on! Give it a try!" Haine said.

Renji sighed. She wasn't going to give up on this, so might as well do it.

Biting the inside of his cheeks, he forced a fake, crappy smile on his face. He looked really weird and creepy doing it, but Haine never said it had to be good.

After a minute of smiling, he stopped.

"This is weird" he said.

Haine laughed a little.

"Next, try laughing out loud" she said.

Renji gave her a look.

"I'm not laughing" he said.

Haine gave him a look.

"You have to" she said.

"Otherwise you won't feel better"

She gave him a secretive smirk.

"Unless you're afraid to"

Renji gave her a look.

"Fine, I'll do it" he said.

He faced the river that they were standing over. Luckily no one was around, so he wouldn't have to embarrass himself.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and started laughing.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" he cried.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!"

He thought he would stop after the first one, but it kept pouring out of his lungs. All of the anger and remorse that he had bubbled up kept pouring out through his forced laughs. It was embarrassing, but relaxing at the same time.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!"

Haine had a nervous smile when she saw that he wasn't going to stop.

"You probably shouldn't laugh anymore" she said.

Renji didn't listen. He just kept on laughing and laughing, even though it was hurting his throat now.

Haine giggled a little and couldn't help but join.

She stood next to him and placed her hands on her hips. Renji looked at her as she took a deep breath and laughed with him.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" they cried.

When they stopped laughing, they looked at each other for a second before laughing for real.

It was so funny to see the other doing fake laughs.

"Too funny!" Haine cried.

Renji wiped a tear from his eye.

"It was your idea" he said.

Haine smiled.

"So it was" she said.

As their laughing subsided, they looked at the sky.

Renji looked at Haine for a moment before looking back up.

"Thanks" he said.

Haine looked at him for a moment.

"For what?" she asked.

Renji shook his head.

"For not sugarcoating what I was going through" he said.

"And…for getting me out of that funk"

Haine smiled a little before watching the birds fly by.

"It's my pleasure" she said.

"If you ever feel like venting off some steam, just let me know and we can laugh it off together"

Renji smirked a little.

"I'll hold you to that"

Haine smiled a little.

It seemed that even though Renji was still in pain for what had happened, he was able to heal a little bit. And all it took was a little laugh.

/

**A/N: I really had fun with this chapter. It was funny to see Renji doing the laughing exercise.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	9. Let me teach you

Chapter 9: Let me teach you

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry it's been a while. My computer crashed on me again and I had to rewrite this chapter from scratch. **

**So without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final Fantasy X; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

Haine sighed as she looked at the piece of paper in her hands.

Since she didn't know the writing system of the Soul Society, she figured it was a good idea to learn it, rather than be confused for the rest of her stay. She asked Rukia if she could explain the writing system that she used and was given a list of all the characters that made out the words.

So far, all she got out of it were scribbles. Everything looked so choppy and broken up with the little strokes that were used to write the characters. With Spira scripture, everything was all loopy and curly. Whatever one character said meant something different in scripture. A became B and instead of just 26 letters, they had more than that.

This was so complicated that the Al Bhed writing system looked easy.

Dropping the paper in her lap, she decided to call it quits for now.

A summoner never gave up, they simply took breaks.

Haine pinched the bridge of her nose. She wished that her sister was here at the moment since she actually knew how to figure out the writing system. But sadly, she was talking with Byakuya about who knew what.

"Maybe Rukia will help me with this?" she thought to herself.

The young Soul Reaper had been so helpful to her that if Haine ever needed to ask about something, she could always go to her.

Tucking the paper in her skirt pocket, she decided to look for her friend.

She wasn't going to learn this all on her own.

/

"_Ieyui Nobomenu …"_

Singing the Hymn of Fayth, Haine carefully walked through the busy streets of the Soul Society.

Since she performed the sending on the departed souls from Hollow attacks, Yamamoto gave her permission to roam the streets without a chaperone. That way, in case there was a Hollow attack and there wasn't a Soul Reaper to perform the Konso, she would be able to do it.

"_Renmiri Yojuyogo, Hasatekanae Kutamae"_

"Ha ha, that's a funny song!"

Haine stopped walking and looked around to see who was talking. She knew who that voice belonged to, but she couldn't find the source.

"Down here!"

Looking down in front of her, she found none other than Yachiru standing in front of her with a big smile on her face.

"Hi, Hai-Hai!"

Haine laughed a little and waved.

"Hello, Yachiru"

She knelt in front of the girl so she wouldn't feel threatening.

"What are you doing out here?"

Yachiru smiled and held a big bag of gummies.

"I went to get candy!" she cheered.

"You want to try one? They're really yummy!"

She held the bag of colorful candies out to the summoner to take.

Haine took a red gummy and looked at it carefully. She had never seen sweets like this before. Back in Spira, they were usually sugar coated nuts or fruits. Everything was more organic in Spira.

Slowly putting the gummy in her mouth, she let the sweet taste of strawberry fill her taste buds.

Yachiru giggled when she saw the sparkle in Haine's eyes. That was how she usually looked whenever she had candy.

"It's really good" Haine said.

"Thank you very much"

Yachiru smiled and ate a green gummy.

"They're my favorite" she said.

"I love candy and there's different kinds! Kenny always gets me some when he comes back from a mission in the World of the Living"

Haine smiled as she watched Yachiru enjoy her sweets. Seeing children being happy strengthened her reason to defeat Sin. If Sin still roamed Spira, then the smiles would vanish. She couldn't let that happen.

Yachiru finished off her gummies and stuffed the rest in her pocket.

"So what was that funny song you were singing, Hai-Hai?" she asked.

"It's sounded really weird"

Haine laughed a little. Of course she wouldn't know that the Hymn was. She was just a little girl after all.

"It was called the Hymn of Fayth" she said.

"It's a song that people sing from where I'm from. Usually, it's sung in the temples or when a Sending is being performed. It's very important to everyone"

Yachiru tapped her chin.

"So it's a religious song?"

Haine nodded.

"Yes, you could say that. But sometimes people sing it because it calms them down and makes them feel relaxed"

"Why would a song make them feel relaxed?"

Haine sweat dropped.

"Maybe when you're older, you'll understand" she said.

Yachiru pouted a little, but quickly went back to smiling.

"So why are you out here? Did you get lost?"

Haine shook her head.

"Oh, no. Nothing like that"

She pulled out the paper that held Soul Society's writing system.

"I was just looking for Rukia. I don't know the writing system here since I use a different one from my world, so I was going to ask her if she could help me"

Yachiru looked at the paper for a moment then laughed.

"You don't need to ask Rukia! Kenny can help!"

She grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards her division. It was rather funny seeing such a tiny little girl pulling a much taller girl around.

Haine looked around nervously as people watched.

"I-I don't know if your Captain would want to do that" she said.

"I'm sure he's busy with his other duties as Captain"

Yachiru laughed.

"Not Kenny! He's always taking a nap and looking for something to do besides paperwork. He'll be more than happy to help you out!"

Haine bit her lip nervously as she was pulled along by the bubblegum haired girl.

"_Somehow, I don't find that possible" _she thought.

/

"Kenny! I'm back!"

Yachiru tugged Haine along the Squad 11 barracks as she looked for her constant companion. Every time they walked past someone, they would give the two strange looks. Haine thought it was because they thought Yachiru was bringing over a weak, defenseless girl or because they thought she looked weird in her Spira robes.

Either way, it made her feel nervous and out of place.

She tried to pull her hand out of Yachiru's grasp so she could make a run for it, but the little girl had a vice grip.

"_This girl is stronger than she looks" _she thought.

When they reached Kenpachi's office, they stopped.

Haine gulped a little. Even though she had meet Kenpachi a couple of times, she knew that the 11th Division Captain had a foul temper. He nearly killed Renji because he sent him paperwork.

She expected Yachiru to knock on the door to let Kenpachi know they were there, but the little girl just walked right into the room.

"Hey Kenny!"

Kenpachi just grunted from where he sat at his desk and scribbled some stuff down.

Haine fiddled with her sleeves while Yachiru still held her hand. She didn't know what mood Kenpachi was in, but she was afraid to find out.

Yachiru giggled and pulled Haine closer to the desk.

"Kenny! Look who I brought!"

Kenpachi grunted, not really in the mood for one of Yachiru's games.

"Whatever" he grunted, not really in the mood to talk. He had to do paperwork and he was not happy.

Yachiru stomped her foot. Kenny wasn't playing the game right.

"Look Kenny!"

Kenpachi growled and slammed his pen down.

"What?" he snapped.

He blinked when he saw Haine standing next to his Lieutenant.

"What the hell?"

Haine smiled nervously and waved.

"I-It's nice to see you again, Sir Kenpachi" she said.

Kenpachi just blinked, not connecting the dots to the situation.

"Huh?"

Yachiru laughed and jumped onto Kenpachi's desk.

"I brought Hai-Hai over!" she cheered.

"She needed help with something so I said you would be able to! Isn't that cool?"

Kenpachi looked at Yachiru with a dull look. Despite having her as his Lieutenant and getting past her crazy personality, he would never understand her crazy compulsive moments.

"What kind of help?" he asked in a gravelly voice.

If it was to play dress up or anything stupid of that nature, he was out.

Haine waved her hands in front of her nervously.

"I-it's nothing really!" she insisted.

"Nuh-uh! You said you needed help!" Yachiru said.

She snatched the paper that was sticking out of Haine's pocket and pressed it into Kenpachi's face.

"She doesn't know how to read or write in Kanji and I said you were the perfect person for the job!" she said.

Haine blushed in embarrassment.

Yachiru made it sound like she was dumb for not knowing their writing system.

"I-I just have a different writing system from where I'm from, so I don't know your writing system" she explained.

Kenpachi just gave her a dull look. It wasn't that he didn't like Haine, he just didn't find her to be interesting. He could tell that she wasn't a fighter, so why bother talking to someone who would just bore him to death?

"Is that so?"

Haine bit her lip and nodded.

"B-but don't worry about" she insisted.

"I'm sure you're very busy with paperwork and I can always ask Sir Kuchiki or Rukia to help-"

At the mention of Byakuya's name, Kenpachi slammed his fist into his desk; creating a nice big dent in the process.

If there was one thing that set him off, it was Byakuya. He always thought that noble was so full of himself with his superiority and his so called powerful skills. Every time he saw the prick, he just wanted to have a huge brawl with him and rub his face into the dirt.

So the fact that Haine would get help from him of all people just made the competitive side spring forth. If it would make Byakuya look bad for not being able to help Haine with something as simple as reading and writing, then he would do it.

Anything to make Byakuya look like an idiot.

"Get help from that stick up his ass?" he stated.

"Oh hell no. If you want help, you got it right here"

Haine blinked. A few seconds ago, he looked like he didn't even want to help and now he suddenly wanted to? This man was so confusing.

"But…what about your paperwork?" she asked.

Kenpachi grinned like an animal cornering its prey.

"I can take care of it later"

To prove his point, he shoved all of the paper work off his desk and had it scattered to the floor. Pulling up a chair, he ushered her to sit next to him and patted it.

"Now let me show you some proper education" he said.

"None of that high and mighty crappy stuff you'd get from Kuchiki"

Haine gulped a little, but steadied her nerves. A summoner must be ready for any kind of situation. Be it good or bad. She didn't sense any danger from this man, but that didn't mean she didn't trust him. He seemed like a good man, but a scary one.

Steadying her nerves, she slowly went to the chair and faced her mentor.

Kenpachi gave her a creepy grin as she took the sheet out that held all of the Kanji symbols on them.

"This is going to be fun!" Yachiru cheered.

Haine laughed nervously.

She hoped it would be too.

/

_(Half an hour later) _

Surprisingly, Kenpachi was a really good teacher. He didn't look like someone who would want to explain anything, but he did know what he was talking about.

He figured that instead of telling Haine how to read and write Kanji he would make her write it out instead. He always believed experience was the best form of education and the only way to be good at something is to actually do it.

He had her write out the scripture she used in Spira and explained what each symbol stood for and then showed her which Kanji symbol translated it.

He had her start off by writing her name and a few words in Kanji before he made her write a few sentences. It seemed childish, but it was successful. After a few sentence drills, Haine was starting to get the hang of writing Kanji. She was still a little confused on a few symbols, but she was able to read and write them a little.

Haine had to say that she was rather impressed. She honestly didn't expect Kenpachi to be so serious with his teaching. She thought that he would just tell her what was what and made her figure it out on her own. But instead, he had her explain her writing system and interpreted it to their writing system.

It seemed that this man was not just brawn but brains as well.

Yachiru sat on her shoulder and watched as she wrote her name a few times. Her strokes were a little curly, but that could be because she was used to writing curls thanks to the Spira scripture.

"You're really good at this" she cheered.

"You'll be a natural in no time"

Haine blushed a little as she smiled. She was really happy that she finally understood how to read Kanji. Now she wouldn't have to have Rukia and Renji to read everything for her.

She looked up at Kenpachi he was staring at a piece of paperwork. He looked like he didn't want to finish his paperwork, but knew it had to be done eventually.

"Thank you very much for teaching me how to read and write kanji, Sir Kenpachi" she said.

Kenpachi just grunted as he signed his name in a lazy manner.

Yachiru giggled.

"Kenny looks bored" she said.

"I think a fight is called for"

Kenpachi grinned at the mention of a fight.

"Hell yeah" he said.

Haine looked between the Captain and Lieutenant.

"Fight?"

Yachiru jumped off of Haine's shoulder and landed on the floor.

"I'll get Yummi and Baldy!" she said.

She grabbed Haine's hand and tugged her along.

"Come on! Let's go get them!"

Haine sweat dropped as she was once again being dragged around by a little girl.

/

Ikkaku aimed his Zanpakuto at Yumichika when they arrived at the training grounds.

"I haven't had a good fight this whole week" he said.

"Don't disappoint me and make it boring"

Yumichika tossed his bangs out of his face and gave him a cocky smirk.

"Oh please" he scoffed.

"If I went easy, that wouldn't be beautiful at all"

Ikkaku laughed and went into a fighting stance.

"Bring it on!"

Yachiru laughed as she watched the two of them fight. She always found it funny when Ikkaku and Yumichika had sparing matches because it would always end with them bickering.

Haine watched nervously as the two soul reapers fought as if they were planning to kill each other.

"Is it alright for them to be fighting like this?" she asked.

"It is just a sparring match after all"

Yachiru just laughed.

"Of course it is" she said.

"If they went easy on each other, then it would be boring. Right Kenny?"

Kenpachi just grunted as he watched his two strongest seats fight each other. He didn't want anyone in his squad to slack off. He ran a group of fighters and if one of them was starting to grow weak he would kick them out. He didn't want a squad that had someone dragging them down.

Haine watched as Ikkaku and Yumichika fought. She had never really seen any of them fight before except that incident with the Hollows.

Since she was a summoner, she didn't really get the time to learn how to fight. She was taught to heal and use the Aeons to do her fighting. It was kind of sad really. Summoners were supposed to protect everyone in Spira, and yet they couldn't protect themselves. They had to have their guardians do all the work.

"_But I'm not just a summoner, I'm going to be Yuna's guardian" _she thought.

She watched the fight continue on intently.

"_Maybe if I watch them fight a bit more, I can pick up a few tricks. Then I can defend myself along with Yuna"_

She studied them intently and memorized their movements.

Kenpcahi saw her out of the corner of his eye and smirked. At first, he thought she was another one of those weak healing type people who had no desire to fight. But after seeing her perform the Sending and her resolve to protect others, he started having second thoughts.

And now he found her fascinated by the fight. Most girls would just cringe as they watched a couple of boys beat the crap out of each other. But Haine was watching them as if she was studying them. Like she wanted to be like them.

"_This girl is interesting" _he thought.

Yachiru laughed when Yumichika dogged one of Ikkaku's attacks and had the third seat fall to the ground.

"You bastard!" he spat.

Yumichika simply tossed his hair out of his face and gave his best friend his usual smirk.

"If I let you hit me, then my uniform would get dirty" he said.

"And I can't have that, now can I?"

Ikkaku gave him a murderous smile as he stood up.

"I'll show you something pretty" he said.

"Me cleaning the floor with your face!"

He charged at Yumichika again, intending to wipe that smirk of the fifth seat's face.

Yumichika just smirked and at the last minute, flashed stepped out of the way when Ikkaku came close.

Ikkaku cursed when he missed then nearly screamed when he saw that he was about to hit the wall due to the momentum of his speed.

Haine panicked when she saw what was going to happen and reacted towards it.

"Look out!" she cried.

She held her hand out in front of her and chanted one of her many spells as a white mage.

"Slow!"

The spell reached Ikkaku in time and made the third seat slow down before his face implanted into the cement wall.

The third seat look dumbfounded when he found himself stopping.

"What the hell?"

He looked over where his captain was, to find Haine's hand outstretched and Yachiru cheering.

"That was cool, Hai-Hai!" she cried.

"You made baldy slow down before he smacked his face into the wall!"

Haine lowered her hand slowly when she saw that Ikkaku was alright. She never expected to use that spell for something so simple. But with the outside world being crazy, she needed to expect the unexpected.

Kenpachi smirked a little. He had never seen that kind of strength before and he was starting to like it. Strange powers meant strong powers.

Ikkaku looked at himself for a moment before looking at Haine. She did something to make his body slow down and he wanted to know.

"Hey you!"

He stomped over to where she was sitting and jabbed a finger at her.

"What the hell did you just do?" he barked.

Haine just looked nervously at him. He seemed mad that she helped him. Did he really want to hit the wall?

"I-I just cast a simple slow spell on you" she said nervously.

"You were going to hit the wall, so I stopped you before you got hurt. Did I do something wrong?"

Ikkaku just gave her a look as he studied her for a moment. He thought she was weak when he saw her the first time. She didn't look like a fighter and didn't act like a fighter, so he figured she was just a weakling and didn't pay attention to her. But now that she stopped him from hitting the wall, he had second thoughts. Weak people didn't have that kind of power.

"That's not ordinary power" he said.

Haine blushed a little at that.

"That's because I'm not from here. My magic is very different from the ones you use here. Of course it's not ordinary"

Ikkaku smirked. Something was different about this girl and he was going to find out.

"Oh yeah? Well why don't you show me?" he asked.

Haine blinked.

"Huh?"

Ikkaku grabbed her wrist and pulled her out towards the training ground.

"Since your magic is different than ours, why not show me?" he challenged.

"If you can stop a tough Soul Reaper like me, than you have to be powerful"

Haine panicked and tried to pull away from Ikkaku. She didn't know the first thing about fighting and she didn't want to face this soul reaper who looked like he wanted to kill something.

"B-but my magic isn't used for fighting!" she insisted.

"It's just defensive magic, nothing more"

Ikkaku just laughed at her and made her take Yumichika's spot.

"Doesn't matter, skills are skills" he stated.

"Show me what you got new girl"

Haine gulped and shook her head.

"I-I don't know the first thing about fighting" she insisted.

"Yeah, don't hurt her baldy!" Yachiru added.

She was a little mad that Ikkaku took her new friend away from her.

Ikkaku snorted.

"I won't hurt her" he said.

"I just want to see what she can do"

"Well make sure it doesn't involve her getting injured" Kenpachi grunted.

"If old man Yamamoto finds out that my squad injured our guests, he'll be on my ass for a year"

Ikkaku nodded.

"Fine" he said.

He looked at Haine.

"How about this, I try to attack you and you block me with your magic. Sound fair?"

That really didn't sound fair at all to Haine. She knew that he was fast on his feet and could easily hit her before she could cast a spell. But she wanted to learn how to defend herself better so she figured this would be the first step into her getting strong.

"O-ok" she said.

"I won't ask you to go easy on me, but try to contain yourself"

Ikkaku laughed and went into a fighting stance.

"I can't promise you anything" he declared.

Haine gulped and readied herself.

"_Oh Faith, give me strength" _she prayed.

/

Renji yawned as he walked through the streets. He always hated it when he had to go on patrol and guard the streets. He would rather just train and fight Hollows than patrol.

He was still a little torn about the Hollow incident, but after Haine's little smile exercise the weight had lifted off his chest a bit. She showed him that he had to learn from his mistakes, no matter how grave they were. And when times were rough, always smile and ease everyone's doubts.

"She must have experience with this sort of thing if she could talk that way" he muttered.

Haine was a real mystery to him. At times, she would seem like a cheerful, bubbly and cute girl, but there were times when she would become serious and act wise beyond her years. She acted gentle and healed people with her magic and she could strong and send many souls to the other world with just one sending.

Just what was it about this girl that made her so interesting? Was it because she was from a different world? Could it be that she used magic that was very different from their own? Or was it that she didn't act like any of the girls that he met?

Whatever the case was, he hoped that he could figure her out soon. He always hated it when he couldn't read a person. It made him feel stupid.

"I won't ask you to go easy on me, but try to contain yourself"

Renji stopped when he heard Haine's voice. He hadn't seen her all day, so he wondered where she ran off to.

"What the hell?" He said.

He looked around and noticed that he was near the Squad 11 barracks.

He heard Ikkaku's laugh.

"I can't promise you anything"

Not liking the sound of Ikkaku's voice, Renji went over near the barracks and peered in the back to see the training ground. The sight before him nearly made his blood run cold.

There standing in the middle of the training field was not only Ikkaku, but Haine herself. The poor summoner looked scared as she attempted to get into a fighting stance.

Red flags flashed in Renji's head when he saw what was going to happen.

Ikkaku was going to fight Haine!

"Oh shit!" he cried.

He looked around nervously to see if Kenpachi was around and panicked when he saw the Captain watching the fight. He was really going to let this happen?

"Double shit!"

He quickly ran back towards his own squad to get some help. He knew that the right thing to do was to stop the fight himself, but he was no match for not just Ikkaku but Kenpachi as well. If the Captain saw that the match was interrupted, he would go crazy and try to kill him.

He needed to get some backup in case that sort of thing happened.

"I gotta hurry" he told himself.

"Otherwise I'll have Haine's sister to deal with"

And sadly, Shaiya was a lot scarier to deal with than Kenpachi.

/

Haine jumped out of the way when Ikkaku lunged at her. She cursed herself for leaving her staff at the Kuchiki compound and leaving herself defenseless.

"_But then again, I didn't think I was going to be pulled into a sparring match" _ she thought.

Ikkaku just grinned menacingly at her and lunged at her again.

"Come on! Is that the best you can do?" he taunted.

Haine cast a shield spell on her just as Ikkaku was about to slam his wooden katana on her head (Kenpachi ordered him to put away his real sword so Haine wouldn't get hurt).

The summoner gave Ikkaku an annoyed look.

"I told you, I don't know the first thing about fighting!" she declared.

"Were you not listening?"

Ikkaku laughed.

"The only thing I listen to is the sound of swords clashing with each other" he said.

Haine ducked out of the way when Ikkaku aimed for her again and used the shield spell again.

"What in Yevon's name did I get myself into?" she sighed.

She added the shell and haste spells for protection as she faced this demon off. If she couldn't fight head on, then she had to be fast on her toes.

She kept dodging Ikkaku as he swung at her. It seemed he didn't know the meaning of taking it easy and thought it meant go all out.

"Come on! You need to do more than just dodge me" Ikkaku complained.

"Try to land a hit on me"

Haine stopped moving and gave Ikkaku an annoyed look. He was clearly getting on her nerves right now and all she wanted was to teach him a lesson.

So he wanted her to hit him? Then fine by her.

Raising her hand up, she watched as Ikkaku charged at her again. It seemed he never learned anything the first time, so a second round was needed.

"So you finally decided to stop being a chicken" Ikkaku laughed.

"About time. This fight was getting boring"

Haine cast him a firm look before starting her spell.

"Slow"

Just like before, Ikkaku suddenly lost his speed and went in a snail like pace.

"What the hell?"

Haine stepped out of the way when he reached him and weaved another spell.

"Haste"

Ikkaku's speed suddenly picked up and made his legs go faster than before. Having no control of his movements, the third seat crashed into the wall that he nearly hit earlier. The force of the impact caused a huge dent to crack into the cement.

Yachiru laughed when she saw Ikkaku smack into the wall. That's what he got for stealing her friend away.

Yumichika covered a snicker that was forming in his throat at the sight while Kenpachi just busted out laughing.

Ikkaku pulled himself away from the wall with a bleeding forehead to look at Haine.

"What the hell?"

Haine placed her hands on her hips and gave him a firm stare. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of looking afraid and weak.

"I told you to not act reckless" she said.

"When someone says that they don't know how to fight, then you take their feelings into consideration. You don't do what you feel like"

Ikkaku spit out a bit of blood and gave Haine a harsh stare. He wasn't going to be stood up by a mere girl.

"You're going to pay for that" he spat.

Haine sighed.

"Looks like you haven't learned your lesson then" she said.

She gave him a firm stare and went into a fighting stance.

"Then I'll just have to teach you another lesson"

Ikkaku charged at her again. He didn't care if his Captain told him not to, he was going to wipe that scolding look off her face. No one made a fool out of him.

Haine cast the slow spell on him again when he was close then used haste when he past her. Like before, he crashed into a tree when he lost control of his legs.

"You never learn, do you?" she sighed.

"Why must men be so stubborn?"

Ikkaku pulled himself from the tree and glared at Haine.

"Now I'm really mad!"

He kept charging at her, attempting to hit her, but Haine simply slowed him down then speed him up to crash into something.

This went on for a couple of minutes before Ikkaku couldn't take it anymore and collapsed to the ground. After hitting into nearly everything, his head was spinning.

Haine went up to the third seat and peered down at him. She felt bad that she hurt him like that, but he needed to learn how to respect others wishes.

"Did you learn you lesson yet?" she asked.

Ikkaku groaned as he held his head.

Haine sighed.

"I'll take that as a yes"

She held her hand out to him. Since she did her damage on him, it was time to fix him up.

"Let's get you fixed up" she said.

"I may be strict but I can be kind as well"

Ikkaku looked at her hand for a moment. He felt like swatting her hand away for the sake of his pride, but he was too out of it to even think straight at the moment.

Grunting, he accepted her hand and let her pick him up.

"You may not have brawn, but you sure as hell have brains" he said.

Haine smiled at the compliment.

"Thanks" she said.

"And it's nice to know that you can handle yourself for a long period of time"

Ikkaku snorted.

"I'm the third seat of squad 11, of course I'm strong" he said.

Haine just laughed and helped him over to where Yachiru and Kenpachi were so she could heal him up.

/

"Ah ha ha ha! Hai-Hai really showed you up, didn't she, baldy?" Yachiru laughed.

Ikkaku glared at the bubblegum haired girl while Haine healed him. It felt weird to be healed by magic rather than from Kido. All of his wounds slowly went away as Haine channeled the Cure spell through his wounds.

The summoner gave him an apologetic smile as she fixed the wound on his head.

"I'm sorry I made you hit the wall, but you wouldn't listen to me" she said.

"I figured you were someone who learned through actions rather than words, so I did it the hard way"

"Ikkaku was always the suborn one" Yumichika said.

"Not to mention thick headed"

Ikkaku glared at his best friend.

"Oh shut up!" he barked.

Haine patted his arm to calm him down. She didn't need him to get riled up and reopen his wounds.

"It just shows that you stick to what you believe in and won't let anyone sway you from your path" she said.

"That's something to be proud of"

Ikkaku looked at her for a moment before looking away. A tiny blush appeared on his face at being compliment like that.

When Haine finished, she went back to her spot by Yachiru and looked out at the sky.

"I must say, I never expected my day to end like this" she said.

"But it was rather enjoyable and I learned something new. Maybe now I'll have a better chance to defend myself when I return to Spira"

Yachiru jumped into her lap.

"Do you have monsters in your world like we do here?" she asked.

Haine nodded.

"Yes. When a soul perishes on my world and there isn't a summoner to send them away, they become monsters known as fiends. They're like Hollows, only they're much uglier looking and tend to be very powerful"

Kenpachi grinned darkly at that.

"Sounds like my kind of place" he said.

Haine sweat dropped at that. He acted so much like Sir Jecht that it startled her.

"You sound like my uncle's guardian" she said.

"He always loved to fight as well. Said that fighting was the only thing you can do something right in the world"

"He's got that right" Kenpachi snorted.

"Fighting is fun and you don't get bored easily. Everything else in the world sucks"

Haine laughed weakly.

"Sir Jecht would say that too" she said.

"Sir Jecht tended to leaped before he looked. It always gave Sir Auron a headache. How they managed to defeat Sin is beyond me, but I'm glad that they were the ones who did it"

She smiled fondly at the memory of her Uncle's guardians. She didn't knew them for very long, but she was so grateful that they were the ones who protected her beloved uncle. Sir Jecht was the hotheaded, go-get 'em kind of guy while Sir Auron was rational and thought things out before he executed them. They were like two sides of a coin. They were opposites but they completed each other.

She smiled a little at the men in front of her. They may have acted tough, but their hearts were in the right place. They valued strength, but their desire to protect others overweighed that. People like them were hard to come by.

She suddenly thought of something and knew that they might enjoy it.

"Hey, would you like to hear the time that Sir Auron killed a Behemoth with his bare hands?"

Kenpachi gave her a dark smirk as he heard this.

"Go on…" he said.

/

"How could you leave her with Kenpachi like that?" Ichigo snapped.

When Renji went to get help, he ran into Ichigo on the way. He knew that Kenpachi always wanted to fight with Ichigo, so if he brought the substitute soul reaper with as bait, he could get Haine out the barracks while not drawing the Captain's attention.

He explained everything to Ichigo, and being the idiot that he was, chewed Renji out as they went to rescue her.

"You should have just grabbed her instead of finding me in the first place" Ichigo barked.

"You wasted time finding help when you should have helped Haine"

A tick mark appeared on Renji's forehead as they ran. Even though he considered Ichigo as an ally, the blonde really pissed him off. He wondered how Rukia was friends with this guy.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to fight Ikkaku and Captain Zaraki off on my own, so I went to get backup" he said.

"Besides, I figured Ikkaku wasn't that big of an idiot that he would really hurt Haine. She's considered as a guest here, so they need to follow the rules"

Ichigo snorted at that logic.

"Yeah right, like they ever follow any rules" he said.

"You better just hope that she's still in one piece. If her sister finds out what happened to her, Kenpachi will be the least of your worries"

Renji sweat dropped.

"Don't remind me"

They ran through the Squad 11 barracks, not stopping to inform their arrival. They had to find Haine fast and they had to find her now.

They followed her spiritual pressure towards the training grounds and pulled out their Zanpakuto's out in case of a fight. When you were in Squad 11, you had to be ready for a fight any time.

Kicking the screen door off, Renji charged into the training ground, ready to save Haine.

"Haine!" he cried.

He expected to see the poor summoner trying to defend herself, only to find her sitting near the wooden walkway with Yachiru in her lap and Ikkaku, Yumichika and Kenpachi sitting next to her.

All of them looked confused at the sudden outburst.

Renji didn't care and wanted to get Haine out of here before things got worse.

"Haine, are you ok? I thought-"

He was silenced when Kenpachi aimed his Zanpakuto at his face and gave him a murderous glare.

"She's getting to the good part" he growled.

Renji gulped and watched Kenpachi turn back to Haine.

"So what happened next?"

Haine giggled.

"Well, after Sir Auron performed the Bushido, the Chimera ran off with its tail tucked in between its legs"

Kenpachi roared with laughter at the ending.

"Oh man, this Auron is my kind of guy" he said.

Ikkaku and Yumichika laughed as well.

"He would fit into our squad perfectly" Ikkaku said.

Renji and Ichigo blinked at the scene before them. They thought Haine was in danger, but she was simply telling Kenpachi stories.

"Um, Haine?" Renji asked.

Haine looked up to see Ichigo and Renji standing a little ways off.

"Oh! Hi you guys!"

She got up and went over to them.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"We should be asking you the same thing" Ichigo said.

"What are you doing here?"

Haine smiled.

"Oh, I was just spending my day with Yachiru and Sir Kenpachi" she said.

"Sir Kenpachi even taught me how to read and write Kanji! Isn't that exciting!"

Renji and Ichigo blinked at that.

"Kenpachi…taught you how to read and write?" Ichigo asked in disbelief.

Haine nodded.

"He really knows what he's talking about. He showed me how to write my name and read a few sentences"

Ichigo looked at Kenpachi in disbelief. The mighty, fearsome Kenpachi showed Haine something simple like how to read and write?

"_Hell must have frozen over" _he thought.

Haine giggled.

"Sir Kenpachi is really fun to hang out with" she said.

"I don't see why you're scared of him"

Renji laughed nervously at the look Kenpachi was giving them. It seemed he didn't like it when people talked behind his back.

"Oh, would you look at the time!" he said.

"It's getting late and your sister was looking for you"

Ichigo nodded quickly, picking up Renji's plan.

"Y-yeah, we should go before she gets mad"

Haine sighed sadly.

"Oh, alright" she said.

She turned to Kenpachi and bowed to him.

"Thank you so much for helping me today, Sir Kenpachi" she said.

"I hope I didn't waste your time"

Kenpachi just grinned.

"Since you showed me that you can fight and told me a few awesome stories, I'd say we're even" he said.

"Just make sure you come back and tell me more about this Auron guy"

Haine nodded.

"With pleasure" she said.

Ichigo and Renji started sweating bullets.

"Well, we better go. Bye!"

They picked her up and ran as fast as they could out of the demon's den.

Haine waved as she was taken away by her friends.

"God, that was close" Renji said.

Ichigo nodded.

"He looked like he wanted to kill someone" he said.

Haine looked at her two friends.

"I don't see why you're so scared of Sir Kenpachi" she said.

"He's really nice"

Renji just laughed at that.

"Him? Nice?" he snorted.

"You just haven't seen what he's really like" Ichigo said.

"You'd crap your pants if you did"

Haine pouted at their reactions.

"That's not nice to say about someone" she said.

"Just because they may look tough on the outside doesn't mean they are on the inside. You just need to know them better" she said.

Renji rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say" he said.

"Now let's get back before your sister kills us for leaving you alone in the demon's den"

Haine just let them take her home as she thought about her day at Squad 11. She had a really fun time surprisingly and she really enjoyed being around Kenpachi and Yachiru.

She thought Kenpachi was like a gentle giant. He may have acted tough, but his heart was in the right place.

"_People like that make the best guardians" _she thought.

She giggled as she thought of something.

"_How funny would it be if Sir Kenpachi became my guardian?"_

She knew it was a silly thought, but it was comforting at the same time.

She really enjoyed spending her day with the gentle giant.

Perhaps she could spend time with him again soon.

/

**A/N: This is probably the longest chapter I've written for this story so far. I have to say, this was a fun chapter to write. We got to see the softer to side to Kenpachi. I found it funny that he was teaching Haine how to read and write Kanji. I know it was totally out of character, but I thought it would be interesting. That and the part where he almost killed Renji for interrupting Haine's story.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	10. Cut from the same cloth

Chapter 10: Cut from the same cloth

**A/N: It's been a while since I've update this story so I decided to add another chapter! We're going to step away from Haine's perspective for a tiny bit and focus more on her sister, Shaiya. Just what's so special about this blue mage and why does she always have a chip on her shoulder? **

**You'll find out in this exciting chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final Fantasy X; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

Shaiya wiped the sweat from her forehead. She finished up her daily routine of practicing her blue magic and weapons for the day and decided it was time to call it quits.

While Haine was off exploring the Soul Society, she was busy honing her skills as a guardian. The guardian's duty was to always protect the summoner and be at full strength. She didn't want to slack off while they were stranded on this foreign world.

Haine could have fun but she couldn't.

Putting her whip away, she walked away from the gardens to head for the bathhouse. Unlike her sister, she mesmerized the layout of the Kuchiki manor. That was the perks of being a blue mage; she didn't just master copying abilities but she was able to remember certain locations. It was helpful for when they had to travel down dangerous roads through Spira and the Cloister of Trials. A blue mage was the perfect type of guardian.

Turning down numerous hallways, Shaiya's mind wondered to her sister. Haine was off traveling the Soul Society with Renji. She didn't like that her sister was getting close to the redhead. She didn't like that she was getting close to this world period.

She was on a mission to protect Spira; that was her duty to Yevon.

She stopped in her tracks.

"_Did I really just think that?" _she thought.

She bowed her head. There was one secret that the blue mage held that not even her family knew.

She despised Yevon. She hated everything that dealt with that name. She hated the religion, she hated the beliefs, she hated the commitment people put themselves to it.

She even hated the pilgrimage. To her, it was a march to death rather than the path towards saving Spira. Every summoner who went on the pilgrimage and defeated Sin always ended up dying. Even her beloved uncle Braska wasn't spared of such a fate.

"_A world without Sin is nothing more than a fickle dream" _she thought.

The teachings of Yevon always said that if people could atone for their sins then Sin itself would disappear. It was such a childish belief that it made her sick. It didn't matter if people worked hard to atone for their crimes, there would still be others who would commit them.

When one person managed to fix something, the other would mess it up and start the cycle all over again. They foolishly believe that there would be a day that Spira would be Sin free and they would all live in eternal peace. In Utopia.

She shook her head in disgust.

The people of Yevon were fools. They believe in such old useless beliefs thinking that they were true when they weren't.

She preferred the Al Bhed beliefs over Yevon.

That's right, she agreed more with the 'traitorous' Al Bhed over her family's beliefs. The ways of the Al Bhed made much more sense to her than Yevon did. They believed in life and the future of Spira rather than the past. True, they created Machina way before their time, but at least they were trying to build a better future instead of living in the past.

If her father wasn't a Master of Yevon then she would have lived among the Al Bhed in a heartbeat.

But alas, that could never be. As long as Yevon was still around, her family would forever be tied to it.

At least here in the Soul Society was she able to be free.

She walked further in the estate in search of the bathhouses. Her mind was frazzled just thinking about Yevon that all she wanted now was to relax.

She turned down another hallway and passed a shrine like room. Pictures filled up an entire wall while the smell of burning incense wafted through the air.

"This must be where they keep loves ones here" she thought.

"Like a mini farplane"

She was mildly impressed but her attention was drawn towards a certain picture. It was young woman who smiled softly back at her and looked just like Rukia.

Growing curious she stepped into the room to get a better look. Why would the Kuchiki family have a picture of a Rukia look-alike?

She studied the picture better and saw that while the woman appeared similar to Rukia, she didn't look like her at all. She had the same hairstyle and facial features as Rukia but her aura held a more gentle vibe then that of the Soul Reaper.

"What are you doing here?"

Shaiya turned around to see Byakuya standing near the entrance of the room. This man was a mystery to her but she could relate to him. He kept his emotions behind a mask and hardly said anything about himself.

She simply looked back at the woman's portrait.

"My apologies" she said.

"I was on my way to the bathhouses when I stumbled upon this room. I was curious as to why there was a picture of someone who looks like your sister"

Byakuya walked over to the mural and looked at the picture.

"That is not Rukia, that is my wife" he said.

Shaiya closed her eyes.

"You have my condolences" she said.

Byakuya just made a noise to show his thanks. The two of them didn't speak since it was not needed. Shaiya was the kind of person who didn't need to be told to understand a situation. She had a sharp eye and was able to pick things apart to get to the heart of the matter.

She could tell that Rukia really wasn't Byakuya's brother but was rather his sister-in-law. The two of them didn't share any similar traits. They were the polar opposite from each other like night and day.

"So I take it that Rukia is really your in-law rather than your real sister?" she summarized.

Byakuya looked at her while the blue mage gave him a cold smirk.

"I must always understand everything that I see, Sir Kuchiki" she said.

"Such is the way of a guardian"

Byakuya looked away from her.

"Correct" he replied.

Shaiya nodded, knowing that she was always right.

"It's fortunate that she has such a caring in-law like you in her life" she said.

"I wouldn't say that" Byakuya said.

Shaiya closed her eyes.

"You may think differently but the truth is always present" she said.

She spun on her heel having her back towards him.

"I don't need you to share your past. It's none of my business" she said.

"But just remember that even if you don't agree with what I say, there are others who think differently than you"

She left the room and headed for the bathhouse.

It was time to relax.

/

The baths were calm and relaxing to Shaiya. They washed away the stress she had during the day and made room for her joints to relax. It made her wish they had bathhouses like these in Spira, but at least they had natural hot springs here and there.

The doors to the bathhouse opened to reveal Rukia and Haine entering.

"Sister!" Haine cried.

Shaiya gave her a small smile.

"Hello, Haine. Did you have a nice day?"

The summoner nodded and stepped into the water.

"Oh yes I did" she said.

"Renji showed me around the market area in Soul Society and Rukia invited me to attend one of the female soul reapers association club meetings!"

Rukia smiled and shrugged.

"All of the other female soul reapers want to meet Haine so I thought going to one of the meetings would work" she said.

"Can I please go to it, Shaiya?" Haine pleaded.

Shaiya always had the final say what Haine could and couldn't do while here. She was the head guardian which meant she had to monitor what was safe and what wasn't for her younger sister.

She shrugged and washed her arms.

"I suppose you can" she said.

"Although I will be attending in case something comes up"

Haine smiled brightly.

"Thank you!" she said.

Rukia smiled at the sisterly bond Haine and Shaiya shared.

"So how was your day, Shaiya?" she asked.

The blue mage shrugged and washed her hair out.

"It was alright" she said.

"Although I did learn that you had an older sister"

Rukia's smiled turned strained at the mention of Hisana.

"Oh" she said.

The blue mage wrung her hair out and looked at the young soul reaper.

"I didn't know that you weren't related to Sir Kuchiki. But then again, you look nothing alike"

"Shaiya" Haine warned.

The problem about Shaiya was she always stated the truth rather bluntly when she shouldn't. When her mind was on it, she would speak what she thought on certain things. It tended to get her into a lot of trouble with Lord Mika and the Masters.

Rukia laughed weakly.

"Yes, that's true" she said.

"Byakuya ni-sama is really my brother in-law. But he's the only family that I know and have"

Haine looked at her friend, curious at her statement.

"What about your sister?" she asked.

Rukia shook her head.

"I never knew her"

She told them the story about how when she was a baby, her sister Hisana left her in one of the districts in Hanging Dog since she couldn't take care of her and that after she got married to Byakuya she would search for her every day.

"After she died Ni-sama searched for me in her place because that was her final wish" she said.

"He found me when I was in the Soul Reaper academy and adopted me into the family. A lot of people in the Kuchiki family weren't happy about it, but he didn't care"

Haine sniffled a little at the story.

"That's so sad" she said.

Rukia gave her a gentle smile.

"It's ok, it's nothing to worry about" she said.

"It's sickening" Shaiya said.

Haine looked horrified at her sister's statement.

"Shaiya, how could you say that?" she cried.

Shaiya shook her head.

"Not about Rukia's story, I meant about the Kuchiki elders" she said.

"It's sickening to think that they could boss the head of the household as if they have power over him. They can't accept the fact that they're below someone much younger than them and have to follow his orders"

Her hand curled into a fist under the water.

"They think it's shameful that a nobleman marries a commoner simply because they think it'll ruin their status" she spat.

"They're blind by the fact that love does exist and that status is not always important. They care more about their own image than they care about their leader's happiness"

Rukia looked at the blue mage in wonder.

"Shaiya"

The blue mage gave her a serious look.

"Just because you aren't of noble blood doesn't mean you're lower than them" she said.

"You're the sister of the leader in this household so that means you have more power over everyone else. Don't you dare let them trample over you because of their past. Show them wrong and prove to them that you have just as much of a right to be here as they do"

Rukia blinked for a second before she broke out into a grin. No one had ever said such positive things about her being a commoner.

It was hard to believe that she would gain to support from people who were not from this world while everyone in Soul Society was against her.

"Thank you" she said.

Shaiya shook her head.

"There's no need to thank me for simply stating the truth" she said.

"It's just common sense"

Rukia smiled.

"Well, regardless thank you" she said.

Haine smiled.

"My sister may be reserved but she'll always speak her mind when the moment is right" she said.

"That's just the kind of person she is"

Shaiya nodded her head slowly.

"_And that's the person he used to be" _she thought.

/

Dinner was already started by the time they entered the dining room. The three of them got caught up talking about girl stuff that they didn't realize the time.

Rukia bowed respectfully to Byakuya when they came into the room.

"I'm so sorry we're late, Ni-sama" she said.

"We were in the bathhouse"

Haine bowed as well.

"It's mostly my fault" she said.

"So please don't blame her"

Byakuya simply closed his eyes and continued to eat.

"We just started so you're not late" he merely said.

Rukia smiled with relief and took her spot at the table. Haine and Shaiya sat next to her and started eating their meal in silence.

Throughout the meal, Shaiya noticed that some of the elders at the table were scowling and muttering under their breath. She also picked up that they would look at Rukia from time to time with such distain.

She didn't like what she was seeing and was going to put an end to it.

"Is there something you would like to say?" she spat.

The everyone looked at her giving nasty looks to the elders.

"Whatever could you mean?" one of them asked.

Shaiya scoffed and shook her head.

"hyeja amtanc" ( foolish elders) she scoffed.

She placed her chopsticks down and crossed her arms.

"You've been muttering and glaring at this side of the table since dinner started" she said.

"Clearly you have something to say if you can't stay quiet about it"

Haine gulped and grabbed her sister's arm.

"Sister" she warned.

The elders glared at her with distain. How dare a guest speak so rudely?

The main elder cleared his throat and gave Shaiya a cold stare.

"Very well, fine" he said.

"Since you've brought it up, I'll just say that in this household when it's time for dinner, that means you be here on time"

Rukia bowed her head, knowing that they were talking about her being late.

Shaiya sneered.

Stupid elders, they didn't realize they had no power compared to Byakuya.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard then" she said.

"I could have sworn that Sir Kuchiki said that it was alright that we were a little late to dinner and that you all just started. I also seem to recall that Sir Kuchiki is the head of this house and whatever he says is final"

She propped her chin in her hands.

"I didn't know that on this world the head of the house was ruled by the weak underlings of the family" she taunted.

"Where we're from it's the exact opposite and if someone were to speak against the head of the family it would end badly"

Haine tugged on her arm some more, silently telling her to stop.

"Shaiya, please" she pleaded.

The elders glared daggers at the blue mage.

"How dare you speak to us like that?" one spat.

"You have no say in this household"

"I don't" Shaiya agreed.

"But then again, neither do you. Rukia is above you all so that means she deserves your respect rather than being scolded. You wouldn't want to be kicked out of your own home now do you?"

That was it for Haine as she pulled her sister away from the table.

"Please excuse us!" she cried.

She dragged her away from the dining room and outside. The summoner looked at her sister with horror.

"Have you lost your mind?" she asked.

"We're guests here, you can't speak out like that"

Shaiya scoffed and looked away.

"And they shouldn't be talking to their family like that" she said.

"It unnerves me that just because one person is different in the family that means they're the black chocobo in the herd"

Haine looked at her sister sadly. She understood why she lashed out at the elders for being rude to Rukia. She too had shared a similar experience with the Masters in Bevelle for something she had did against Yevon.

"Rukia isn't Nukka, Shaiya" Haine said.

"You and I both know that"

Shaiya closed her eyes tightly at the mention of the name. Even after all this time it still tore her heart in two.

"Haine! Shaiya!"

Rukia ran over to them with a worried look on her face.

"I'm so sorry this happened" she said.

"This is all my fault"

Haine gave her friend a weak, reassuring smile.

"It wasn't your fault. You did nothing wrong" she said.

"It's those foolish elders that you call family" Shaiya spat.

Her hands turned into fists at her side.

"They think they know better than you and your brother. They think that they know what is best for your family. They think that marrying a commoner is a sin and will make them look bad. Well they're wrong! Marrying someone of lower status is nothing to be ashamed of. Just because the person you love isn't on the same level as you doesn't mean they're not better. The fact that your brother loved a commoner showed that he didn't need to follow his family's orders to make himself happy. He listened to his heart and found someone who made his life so much better. They think they know a better way of being happy? I highly doubt it. All they care about is their image and there selves"

She bowed her head sadly.

"They're no better than the Masters in Spira" she said.

Haine looked at her sister sadly.

"It wasn't your fault for what happened, sister" she said.

"They were just oblivious to what you truly felt"

Rukia looked between the sisters in confusion.

"What happened?" she asked.

Haine looked at her sister then at her friend.

"It really isn't my place to say" she said.

"Shaiya is the one who would have to answer. Although…I don't think it's right to bring up the past"

Shaiya shook her head.

"It's fine" she said.

"It's not like I'll be punished for what I did in the past"

The blue mage looked at the young Soul Reaper with her emotionless mask on.

"I share a similar past with your brother in a way" she said.

"I used to be engaged to an Al Bhed man"

Rukia gasped a little. Haine had explained to her about the Al Bhed and how they were considered 'heathens' in Spira. They used forbidden Machina and refused to follow the teachings. They were the enemies of Spira.

Shaiya smiled weakly as she looked at the moon.

"Everyone in Bevelle thought I was a traitor for thinking about marrying the enemy" she said.

"They thought I turned my back to Yevon and condemned myself to Sin. I didn't care what they said. I was happy being with him and he opened my eyes to the world. He showed me that there was more to life than atoning for my sins. He showed me that sometimes you need to commit sins in order to atone. I loved Nukka with all my heart and being with him were the happiest moments of my life"

Her lip twitched at a painful memory.

"Yet my happiness was taken away from me when he died" she said.

"He joined the Crusades in hopes of defeating Sin, but he ended up dying due to his Machina malfunctioning and exploding around him. The Masters thought that he deserved it for using forbidden machinery but I thought him dying was my punishment for going against my beliefs"

She shook her head sadly.

"What is so wrong with loving someone so different?" she asked.

"What is the crime of loving a different race? Aren't we all human? Don't we all have blood flowing through our veins? Aren't we all capable of looking past our differences? Is it wrong to be with the person you love?"

Haine placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Sister"

"No it isn't"

The three of them turned to see Byakuya approaching them. The Captain of Squad 6 wore his usual stoic expression on his face.

Haine quickly bowed before him.

"Sir Kuchiki, please forgive my sister" she pleaded.

"She meant no ill will by speaking to your family, she was just looking out for Rukia. It was wrong for her to speak out like that"

Byakuya shook his head.

"No, what she said was true" he said.

"I'm the head of this household and what I say is final. They have no say in the matter of whatever I choose"

Rukia looked shocked.

"Ni-sama" she breathed.

Byakuya looked at Shaiya.

"I agree that they shouldn't have spoken out of turn. It brings shame to the Kuchiki name" he said.

"However if you wish to remain as a guest in my home you will refrain from speaking out like that again. Do I make myself clear?"

Shaiya blinked before giving him a cold smirk.

"Only a summoner tells their guardian what to do and no one else" she said.

"But since you're allowing us to stay I shall heed to your request. I have my reputation as a blue mage to uphold"

Byakuya nodded solemnly.

"Do not repeat this event again" he said.

"I cannot have you shame the Kuchiki name"

Haine nodded.

"Of course! I'll make sure it never happens again" she said.

"You have my oath as a summoner"

"Then let us return to dinner. I won't let food go to waste"

Rukia smiled and nodded.

"Of course, Ni-sama" she said.

She grabbed Haine's hand and lead her back to the house.

Shaiya slowly followed them with Byakuya at her side.

Neither said anything as they walked.

When they reached the house, the blue mage could have sworn that she heard the stoic captain whisper.

'Thank you'

Shaiya looked up at him but saw his face impassive.

The blue mage smirked slightly and shook her head.

It seemed despite their slight differences, she had managed to form a friendship with the stoic captain.

After all, they were cut from the same cloth.

/

**A/N: So there you have it. We got to glimpse into Shaiya's past and learn a lot about her. She's rather complicated if you think about it. She went against her faith and planned to marry an Al Bhed man and went against Yevon but at the same time she's Haine's guardian. **

**She's a little like Braska but only has a Lulu attitude. And it seems that she's formed a friendship with Byakuya.**

**Do I detect romance in the air?**

**Please review and tell me what you think! And if you have ideas of how the female association meeting should be, let me know!**

**Ja ne!**


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